Gisborne District Te Tairāwhiti | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Gisborne District within New Zealand | |
| Coordinates:38°40′00″S178°01′00″E / 38.66667°S 178.01667°E /-38.66667; 178.01667 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Island | North Island |
| Constituted as local authority district | 1 November 1989 (1989-11-01) |
| Seat | Gisborne |
| Wards | List
|
| Government | |
| • Body | Gisborne District Council |
| • Mayor | Rehette Stoltz |
| • Deputy Mayor | Josh Wharehinga |
| Area | |
| • Land | 8,385.06 km2 (3,237.49 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
• Territorial | 53,000 |
| • Urban | 38,300 |
| GDP | |
| • Total | NZ$2.690 billion (2021) (14th) |
| • Per capita | NZ$51,833 (2021) |
| Area code | 06 |
| HDI (2022) | 0.897[4] very high ·15th |
Gisborne District or theGisborne Region[5] (Māori:Te Tairāwhiti orTe Tai Rāwhiti) is a local government area of northeastern New Zealand. It is governed byGisborne District Council, aunitary authority (with the combined powers of adistrict andregional council). It is named after its largest settlement, thecity ofGisborne. The region is also commonly referred to as theEast Coast.[6]
The region is commonly divided into the East Cape andPoverty Bay. It is bounded by mountain ranges to the west, rugged country to the south, and faces east onto thePacific Ocean.
The district is governed byGisborne District Council, which is aunitaryterritorial authority, meaning that it performs the functions of a regional council as well as those of a territorial authority (a district or city). It is constituted as both theGisborne District and theGisborne Region.[5] It replaced Gisborne City,Cook County,Waiapu County andWaikohu County[5] in a majornationwide reform of local government on 1 November 1989.
Prior to the late 19th century, the area was known as Tūranga. However, as the Gisborne town site was laid out in 1870, the name changed to Gisborne, after the Colonial SecretaryWilliam Gisborne, and to avoid confusion with the town ofTauranga.[7]
The region was formerly known as theEast Coast, although the region is often divided into the East Coast proper (or East Cape), north of the city, andPoverty Bay, the area including and surrounding the city. The region is also sometimes referred to as theEast Cape, although that also refers specifically tothe promontory at the northeastern extremity. More recently, it has been calledEastland, although that can also includeŌpōtiki in the easternBay of Plenty to the northwest, andWairoa to the south.[6]
ItsMāori nameTe Tai Rāwhiti means the Coast of the Sunrise,[8] reflecting the fact that it is the first part of the New Zealand mainland to see the sun rise. Gisborne District Council styles the name asTe Tairāwhiti.
The region is located in the northeastern corner of theNorth Island. It ranges from the Wharerata Hills in the south, which divide it fromWairoa District inHawke's Bay, toLottin Point in the north. The western boundary runs along theRaukumara Range, which separates it fromŌpōtiki District. In the southwest, its boundary runs along the western edge ofTe Urewera.
It is sparsely inhabited and isolated, with small settlements mainly clinging to small bays along the eastern shore, includingTokomaru Bay andTolaga Bay. Its population is 53,000 (June 2024).[2] Three-quarters of the population – 38,300 (June 2024)[2] – lives in the city of Gisborne. No other settlements have a population of over 1000; the largest are the towns of Tolaga Bay andRuatoria, each with populations of over 800 in 2001.
Inland, the land is rough, predominantly forested, hill country. A spine of rough ridges dominates the centre of the region, culminating in the impressive bulk of the 1752 metreMount Hikurangi inWaiapu Valley in the region's northeast. Hikurangi is the fifth-highest mountain in the North Island, and the highest that is not a volcano. Regarded as sacred byMāori, there is some justification to the claims that this is the first mountain to see the sun in summer.
The region's population has a higher than the national average proportion of Māori – over 50% in some areas – and maintains strong ties to both Māori tradition and theiwi andmarae structure. The predominant iwi areNgāti Porou,Rongowhakaata,Ngāi Tāmanuhiri andTe Aitanga-a-Māhaki.
At 8:55 pm (NZDT) on 20 December 2007, the Gisborne region was hit by an earthquake ofRichter magnitude 6.8, centred in theHikurangi Trough which is a part of theHikurangi Margin. The earthquake was situated 50 km southeast of Gisborne at a depth of 40 km.[9]Mercalli intensities of 7-8 were experienced, with three buildings substantially collapsed in thecentral business district and others experiencing some structural damage. One death was reported (a heart attack of an elderly woman, sustained during the quake) plus minor injuries.[10]
The region is sheltered by high country to the west and has a dry, sunny climate. It has a yearly average of 2,200 sunshine hours. The annual rainfall varies from about 1000 mm near the coast to over 2500 mm in higher inland country. Typical maxima range from 20 to 28 °C in summer and 10-16 °C in winter. Minima vary from 10 to 16 °C in summer to 0-8 °C in winter.
| Climate data for Gisborne | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.2 (75.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.1 (62.8) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 21.3 (70.3) | 23.3 (73.9) | 19.5 (67.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.6 (56.5) | 12.2 (54.0) | 9.6 (49.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 5.3 (41.5) | 4.6 (40.3) | 5.4 (41.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 9.1 (48.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 54 (2.1) | 78 (3.1) | 99 (3.9) | 103 (4.1) | 97 (3.8) | 125 (4.9) | 119 (4.7) | 93 (3.7) | 101 (4.0) | 63 (2.5) | 65 (2.6) | 67 (2.6) | 1,064 (42) |
| Source: NIWA Climate Data[11] | |||||||||||||
Gisborne District covers 8,385.06 km2 (3,237.49 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 53,000 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 6.3 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 45,768 | — |
| 1991 | 44,361 | −0.62% |
| 1996 | 45,962 | +0.71% |
| 2001 | 43,971 | −0.88% |
| 2006 | 44,499 | +0.24% |
| 2013 | 43,653 | −0.27% |
| 2018 | 47,517 | +1.71% |
| 2023 | 51,135 | +1.48% |
| Source:[12][13][14] | ||
Gisborne District had a population of 51,135 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 3,618 people (7.6%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 7,482 people (17.1%) since the2013 census. There were 25,326 males, 25,686 females and 123 people ofother genders in 17,316 dwellings.[15] 2.3% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 36.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 11,382 people (22.3%) aged under 15 years, 9,627 (18.8%) aged 15 to 29, 21,648 (42.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 8,481 (16.6%) aged 65 or older.[14]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 56.5%European (Pākehā); 54.8%Māori; 5.6%Pasifika; 3.8%Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.1%, Māori language by 16.9%, Samoan by 0.5% and other languages by 5.8%. No language could be spoken by 2.2% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.2%Christian, 0.6%Hindu, 0.3%Islam, 4.6%Māori religious beliefs, 0.4%Buddhist, 0.5%New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they hadno religion were 53.7%, and 8.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 5,187 (13.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 22,200 (55.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 10,800 (27.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 2,727 people (6.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 18,867 (47.5%) people were employed full-time, 5,505 (13.8%) were part-time, and 1,590 (4.0%) were unemployed.[14]
In the 2018 census, 77.6% of the population could speak in one language only, 18.9% in two languages and 1.1% in three or more languages.[16]
Gisborne, with a population of 38,300,[2] is the only urban area in the district with a population over 1,000. It is home to 72.3% of the district's population.
Other towns and settlements in the Gisborne district include:
The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the Gisborne region was estimated at NZ$2.16 billion in the year to March 2019, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $44,004 in the same period.[17]
There are a number of notable creative people from the Gisborne region, including writerWiti Ihimaera, opera singerDame Kiri Te Kanawa and actorGeorge Henare.
An annual arts festival began in 2019 calledTe Tairāwhiti Arts Festival. In 2020, this included a series of light installations along the river in Gisborne city showcasing ten local artists.[18]
The region is represented in rugby union by theEast Coast Rugby Football Union and thePoverty Bay Rugby Football Union.
Adjacent cities and districts | |
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| North Island |  | |
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| South Island | ||
* Governed by aunitary authority rather than a regional council | ||
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