TheSouth Island (official alternative nameTe Waipounamu,[a] fromMāori) is the larger of the two mainislands of New Zealand by surface area, the other being the smaller but more populousNorth Island. With a population of 1,256,700 as of June 2025,[1] the South Island is home to 24% of New Zealand's 5.3 million inhabitants. The most populous cities areChristchurch,Dunedin,Nelson andInvercargill.
Dunedin boomed during the 1860sOtago gold rush, which was shaped by extensiveChinese immigration. After thegold rushes in Otago and on the West Coast, the South Island held the majority of the European population and wealth. After the gold rushes the "drift to the north" meant the North Island displaced the South as the most populous. The North Island's population overtook the South Island's in the early 20th century, with 56% of the New Zealand population living in the North Island in 1911. The drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the twentieth century.[3]
The island has been known in English as the 'South Island' for many years. TheMāori language name for it, 'Te Waipounamu', is an official alternative name.[4][5] 'Te Waipounamu' is most often translated as 'the water(s) ofpounamu',[6] but possibly evolved from 'Te Wāhi Pounamu' ('the place of pounamu').[citation needed] It was first recorded in English by CaptainJames Cook on hisvoyage to New Zealand in 1769. North Island iwi alternatively used the name 'Te Waka-a-Māui' ('the canoe ofMāui') for the South Island.[7]
In the 19th century, some maps identified the South Island as 'Middle Island' or 'New Munster' (named afterMunster province in Ireland), with the name 'South Island' or 'New Leinster' used forStewart Island.[8] In 1907, the Minister for Lands instructed the Land and Survey Department that the name 'Middle Island' was no longer to be used: "South Island will be adhered to in all cases".[9]
TheNew Zealand Geographic Board found in 2009 that the South Island (along with the North Island) had no official name.[10] After several years and at a cost of over $10,000,[5] the island was officially named both "South Island" and "Te Waipounamu" on 17 October 2013, as announced byMinister for Land InformationMaurice Williamson in theNew Zealand Gazette.[4] Three months of public consultation in April through July 2013 saw an "overwhelming" majority in support of choice between English and Māori names.[5]
According toThe Guardian's style guide, both main islands of New Zealand should be referred to using thedefinite article ('the') and 'in' should be used in place of 'on' (e.g. "she lives in the South Island", rather than "she lives on South Island").[11]
The island is occasionally referred to by residents as 'theMainland'.[12] A tourist train service called 'The Mainlander' is set to begin operating in January 2026 between Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.[13] There is also theMainland brand of cheese which was formerly produced in Dunedin.[14][better source needed]
The island is also known asTe Waka a Māui which means "Māui'sCanoe". In some modern iterations of Māori legends, the South Island existed first, as the boat of Māui, while the North Island wasthe fish that he caught.[15][16]
Various Māoriiwi sometimes use different names, with some preferring to call the South IslandTe Waka o Aoraki.[17][18] This refers to another Māori legend called the story of Aoraki: after the world was created, Aoraki and his three brothers came down in a waka (canoe) to visit their mother,Papatūānuku the earth mother, only to crash after failing to perform akarakia on their way back home to their father,Ranginui (also known as Raki) the sky father. The waka transformed into an island and the four brothers became the mountain ranges on top of it.[19]
Archaeological investigations of theWairau Bar in the north east of the South Island suggest that this site was part of the first era of colonisation of New Zealand, around 1288–1300 CE. Wairau Bar is a rare example in New Zealand of an early East Polynesian settlement clustered around a central point, and is described as "the type-site of the earliest phase of New Zealand’s prehistory".[20]
Rock art painted in redochre andcharcoal can be found on limestone rock shelters in over 550 different locations across the South Island.[21][22] Stretching fromKaikōura toNorth Otago, the drawings are estimated to be between 500 and 800 years old and portray animals, people and fantastic creatures, possibly stylised reptiles. Some of the birds pictured are long extinct, includingmoa andHaast's eagles.[22] They were drawn by earlyMāori, but by the time Europeans arrived, local Māori did not know the origins of the drawings.[23]
Waitaha was an early Māoriiwi (tribe) that settled in the South Island from the late 15th century.[24] They were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by theKāti Māmoe in the 16th century.[25] In the early 18th century,Ngāi Tahu, a Māori tribe who originated on the east coast of theNorth Island, began migrating to the northern part of the South Island. There they and Kāti Māmoe fought Ngāi Tara andRangitāne in theWairau Valley. Ngāti Māmoe then ceded the east coast regions north of theWaiau Toa / Clarence River to Ngāi Tahu. Ngāi Tahu continued to push south, conquering Kaikōura. By the 1730s, Ngāi Tahu had settled inCanterbury, includingBanks Peninsula. From there they spread further south to Foveaux Strait and across into theWest Coast.[26] Kāti Māmoe were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Ngāi Tahu as they migrated south, although many Ngāi Tahu have Kāti Māmoe links in theirwhakapapa and especially in the far south of the island.[27]
The first known contact between Māori in the South Island and Europeans was with the crew of Dutch explorerAbel Tasman who arrived in his shipsHeemskerck andZeehaen. In December 1642, Tasman anchored at the northern end of the island inGolden Bay / Mohua, which he named Moordenaers Baij (Murderers Bay) following a clash with Māori where four crew were killed. He then sailed northward toTonga .[28]
British naval captainJames Cook ofHM BarkEndeavour visited the South Island on hisfirst voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean, around 127 years after Tasman in 1769–70. In mid-January 1770, Cook arrived atShip Cove inQueen Charlotte Sound, on the north coast of the South Island. Ship Cove became an early site for sustained contact between Māori and Europeans, and Cook returned there during his second and third voyages.[29][30][31] After leaving Ship Cove, Cook sailed down the east coast of the South Island, charting the coast and continuing the search for the southern continent. TheEndeavour roundedSouth Cape, the southern-most point ofStewart Island on 10 March 1770, proving that the South Island was not the sought-after sixth continent.[32][33] DuringCook's second voyage on 17 December 1773, ten crew of theAdventure, the sister vessel to Cook’sResolution were killed and eaten byNgāti Kuia andRangitāne people in Queen Charlotte Sound.[34]
From the 1780s, South Island Māori encountered European and Americansealers andwhalers. Some Māori crewed on the foreign ships, with many crewing on whaling and sealing ships that operated in New Zealand waters. Some of the South Island crews were almost totally Māori.[35] Between 1800 and 1820, there were 65 sealing voyages and 106 whaling voyages to New Zealand, mainly from Britain and Australia.[36]
In 1827–28,Ngāti Toa under the leadership ofTe Rauparaha attacked and defeated Ngāi Tahu at Kaikōura. Ngāti Toa then visitedKaiapoi Pā (a fortified village), ostensibly to trade. When they attacked their hosts, the well-prepared Ngāi Tahu killed all the leading Ngāti Toa chiefs except Te Rauparaha, who returned to hisKapiti Island stronghold. In November 1830, Te Rauparaha persuaded Captain John Stewart of the brigElizabeth to carry him and his warriors in secret toAkaroa, whereby in subterfuge they captured the leading Ngāi Tahu chief,Tama-i-hara-nui, and his wife and daughter. After destroying Tama-i-hara-nui's village, they took their captives to Kapiti and killed them. John Stewart was arrested and sent to trial in Sydney as an accomplice to murder, but escaped conviction.[26]
In the summer of 1831–32 Te Rauparaha attacked the Kaiapoi Pā commencing a three-month siege, during which his men successfullysapped the pā. They then attacked Ngāi Tahu onBanks Peninsula and took the pā atOnawe. In 1832–33 Ngāi Tahu retaliated under the leadership ofTūhawaiki and others, attacking Ngāti Toa atLake Grassmere. Ngāi Tahu prevailed, and killed many Ngāti Toa, although Te Rauparaha again escaped. Fighting continued for a year or so, with Ngāi Tahu maintaining the upper hand. Ngāti Toa never again made a major incursion into Ngāi Tahu territory.[26]
In 1836, theNgāti Tama chiefTe Pūoho led a 100-person war party, armed withmuskets, down theWest Coast and over theHaast Pass. They fell on the Ngāi Tahu encampment between Lake Wānaka andLake Hāwea, capturing ten people and killing and eating two children.[38] Te Puoho took his captives over theCrown Range toLake Wakatipu and thence to Southland, where he was killed, and his war party destroyed by the southern Ngāi Tahu leader Tūhawaiki.[39]
Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Toa established peace by 1839, with Te Rauparaha releasing the Ngāi Tahu captives he held. Formal marriages between the leading families in the two tribes sealed the peace.[40]
The first permanent European settlement in the South Island was founded atBluff in 1823 by whaler James Spencer who set up a trading post to supply visiting ships.[41][42][43]
Akaroa, founded in 1840, is the oldest town in Canterbury.[44] France wished to colonise New Zealand and sent out a group of immigrants who arrived at Akaroa on 18 August 1840 and established a French community there, supported by French naval officers and sailors.[45][46]: 170–171 Following the signing of theTreaty of Waitangi atWaitangi in February 1840,Lieutenant-Governor CaptainWilliam Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand on 21 May 1840 and the South Island, along with the rest of New Zealand, briefly became a part of theColony of New South Wales.[47] This declaration was in response toFrance's attempts to colonise the South Island at Akaroa[48] and theNew Zealand Company's attempts to establish a separate colony inWellington.[49] The Treaty was signed at Akaroa on 28 May 1840.[50]
On 17 June 1843, Māori and British settlers clashed atWairau in what became known as theWairau Affray or Wairau Massacre. It was the first serious clash of arms between the two parties after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the only one to take place in the South Island. Four Māori and 22 settlers were killed. Twelve of the Europeans were shot dead or clubbed to death after surrendering to Māori who were pursuing them.[51]
Settlement of Nelson began with the arrival of three New Zealand Company ships in November 1841. In March 1848, two ships carrying immigrants sponsored by theFree Church of Scotland arrived to begin settlement of Otago, and theCanterbury Settlement was established with the arrival of the 'First Four Ships' in Lyttelton in December 1850.[52][53] Many more immigrant ships arrived in the South Island from the 1850s to the 1870s, and the population was also boosted by an influx of gold prospectors and miners in the 1860s. The European population of the South Island rose from 9,336 in 1851[54] to 296,644 (including Chinese) in 1881.[55] For comparison, the non-Māori population of the North Island increased from 17,371 to 193,047 during the same period.[54][55]
Gold was discovered atGabriel's Gully inCentral Otago in May 1861, sparking a gold rush.[56][57]Dunedin prospered, becoming New Zealand's largest and wealthiest city by the end of the 1860s.[58][59] The West Coast gold rush lasted from 1864 to 1867, attracting miners from Otago and Australia. It is estimated that in 1867 around 29,000 people (12% of New Zealand's European population, mostly men) lived on the West Coast.[60]
Several thousand Chinese men, mostly fromGuangdong, moved to New Zealand to work on the South Island goldfields, firstly in Otago and Southland and then on the West Coast.[61] In 1882, about 40% of the population at thealluvial gold workings atInangahua was Chinese.[62] Although the first Chinese workers had been invited by theOtago Provincial government, they quickly became the target of hostility from white settlers, and laws were enacted to discourage them from coming to New Zealand.[61]
With the onset of the West Coast gold rush in 1864, the Canterbury Provincial Government wanted to find a way over the Southern Alps from Canterbury to the West Coast. Investigation showed that a route via what is now known asArthur's Pass was the best option, and in 1866 a road over the pass to Hokitika was opened.
TheLyttelton Rail Tunnel through thePort Hills opened in 1867, providing efficient movement of goods between the port at Lyttelton and Christchurch. TheMain South Line railway linking Christchurch, Dunedin, andInvercargill was opened in 1878. TheMidland rail line between Christchurch and Greymouth opened in 1923. The Otira Tunnel on the Midland Line runs under theSouthern Alps between Arthur's Pass and Otira, a length of over 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi). When the Otira Tunnel opened on 4 August 1923, it was the seventh longest tunnel in the world and the longest in theBritish Empire.[63]
Most of New Zealand's hydroelectric power is generated in the South Island and used in the North Island.[64]
In August 1888,Reefton became the first locality in New Zealand to light its streets with electricity, using water from the Inangahua River to power a dynamo.[65] (The first city to use electric street lighting was Wellington, in June 1889).
Early schemes such as theWaipori scheme in Otago, commissioned in 1903, and theLake Coleridge power station commissioned in 1914 established New Zealand's use of hydroelectric energy.Roxburgh Dam began operating in 1956. By the early 1960s, most North Island hydro sites had been developed but the South Island still had many potential sites. Commissioning of theHVDC Inter-Island link in 1965 made it possible to send large amounts of electricity between the two islands, and from that time hydro capacity in the South Island increased rapidly. Major South Island developments included theBenmore Power Station (1966),Manapouri power station (1971), the UpperWaitaki River Scheme (1977–85) and theClyde Dam (1992).
Construction of hydroelectric schemes in the South Island has met some opposition. The first nationwide environmental campaign in New Zealand was opposition to raising the water level ofLake Manapouri for a power station to supply electricity to theTiwai Point Aluminium Smelter. TheSave Manapouri Campaign was a success and the power station was built without raising the level of the lake outside of its natural range.
Construction of the Clyde Dam near Cromwell created Lake Dunstan, which meant that many of Cromwell's buildings had to be relocated from the area to be flooded. Some of the historic buildings were saved or rebuilt to create a heritage precinct.[66][67]
From the 1850s, settlers establishedhigh countrystations on dry tussock-covered land 600m or more above sea level in central Otago and in the foothills of the Southern Alps in Canterbury.[68][69][70] High country stations typically farmed sheep, often using sheep farming methods from the Scottish Highlands.[69][70] Wool was a valuable product that did not spoil when transported long distances.[70] Life on high country stations revolved around an annual cycle ofmustering (bringing the animals down from the hills), shearing, lambing, weaning and winter feeding, and a mythos grew up around the image of the stoic'Southern man' working alone on the hills.[71] Runholders built huts and sheds for the annual cycle of mustering and shearing sheep.[70] The Department of Conservation now manages a number of historic huts and sites related to high country farming in Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. A few sites are administered by Heritage New Zealand.[70]
The government owned the land and leased it to runholders on 99-year leases.[70] Between 1880 and the early 1900s, many properties were abandoned or destocked for various periods because of problems caused by overgrazing, animal disease issues, weather events and plagues of rabbits.[69] Rabbits had been introduced to New Zealand in the 1830s but quickly became a problem. They depleted pasture, which encouraged weeds to take over, and accelerated erosion in hill country.[72] Early large stations began to be broken up into smaller runs that could be farmed more efficiently.
By 1948 much of the South Island high country was in a poor state, so the Crown introduced the Land Act 1948. This provided for "a perpetually renewable ’pastoral lease’ to give farming families on these lands the ability to farm for future generations and long-term sustainability".[73][74] The farmer has exclusive possession of the land and the right to graze it, and owns improvements made such as fencing and buildings. The farmer does not own the soil and must keep pests and weeds under control.[73]
High country sheep farming became less profitable from about this time due to higher labour costs, loss of subsidies, environmental issues and lower returns. TheCrown Pastoral Land Act 1998 began a process oftenure review. Runholders could gain freehold title to areas that could be "sustainably farmed", while unsustainable land would revert to management by DOC for conservation purposes.[70][73][75] The Act was controversial, with some claiming that high country land was on-sold to foreigners who then used the land for golf courses and housing estates.[76]
A true-colour image of the South Island, after a powerful winter storm swept across New Zealand on 12 June 2006
The South Island, with an area of 150,437 km2 (58,084 sq mi), is the largest landmass of New Zealand; it contains about one-quarter of the New Zealand population and is theworld's 12th-largest island. It is divided along its length by theSouthern Alps, the highest peak of which isAoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft), with the highKaikōura Ranges to the northeast. There are eighteen peaks of more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in the South Island. The east side of the island is home to theCanterbury Plains while the western side is renowned for its rough coastlines inFiordland and along theWest Coast, a very high proportion of nativebush, andFox andFranz Josef Glaciers.
The mountains of the South Island are exposed to prevailing westerly winds from the Tasman Sea, leading to highorographic rainfall and the creation of streams and rivers. These contribute to erosion, and together with continuing uplift and the effects of glaciation create vast quantities of gravel andloess. Glaciation, rivers and gravels have formed theCanterbury Plains and other South Island flood plains. Most of the loess has formed on the eastern side of the South Island, because of the prevailing winds.[77]
During theLast Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South Islands were connected by a vast coastal plain that formed at theSouth Taranaki Bight. Similarly, the South Island andStewart Island were connected by coastal plains that covered modern-dayFoveaux Strait.[78] During this period, most of the South Island was covered in grassland and glaciers, compared to the woodlands and rainforest that grew in the more temperate North Island.[79] Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating the islands and linking theCook Strait to theTasman Sea.[78]
The South Island lies on the boundary between twotectonic plates, thePacific plate and theIndo-Australian plate. TheAlpine Fault is ageological fault about 600 km (370 mi) long that runs almost the entire length of the South Island on the boundary between the two plates.[80] There is movement of around 37 mm (1.5 in) per year along the Alpine Fault, very fast by global standards.[81][82] This is mostlystrike-slip (sideways) movement, with theTasman district andWest Coast moving north andCanterbury andOtago moving south.[83] The last major earthquake on the Alpine Fault was in about 1717 AD with a great (Mw≥8) earthquake magnitude ofMw8.1± 0.1.[84] The probability of another one occurring before 2068 was estimated at 75 percent in 2021.[85][86]
However, compression also occurs because there is 11° of convergence at the boundary.[87] For most of the length of the Alpine Fault, the compression forces thecontinental crust of the Pacific plate up and over the continental crust of the Indo-Australian plate, creating uplift of 1 to 11 mm (0.039 to 0.433 in) per year in different places,[77] and forming theSouthern Alps.[81] This uplift has been occurring for at least 5 myr, leading to a total uplift of 50 km (31 mi) over the period, although almost all of this is lost to erosion.[88] FromFiordland south, the Indo-Australian platesubducts beneath the Pacific plate, with the boundary between the two plates forming theMacquarie Ridge complex extending 1,600 km (990 mi) to the south of New Zealand.
Some of New Zealand's major earthquakes have occurred in the South Island. The1929 Murchison earthquake caused landslides and widespread damage to roads, bridges and buildings and resulted in 17 deaths. TheInangahua earthquake occurred on the Alpine Fault in 1968. It killed three people and caused widespread damage to roads, railway tracks and other infrastructure. On 4 September 2010, the South Island was struck bya 7.1 magnitude earthquake that caused extensive damage, several power outages, and many aftershocks. Five and a half months later, the 6.3 magnitude22 February Christchurch earthquake caused far more damage in Christchurch, resulting in 181 deaths.[89] This quake was centred closer atLyttelton, and shallower than the prior quake, consequently causing extensive damage.[90] There were no fatalities in theSeddon earthquake of 2013, but it caused damage to buildings in Wellington. In 2016 theKaikōura earthquake caused the closure of State Highway 1 between Picton and Waipara and the Main North Line of the railways. Two people died.
Panoramic view of some of the Southern Alps in winter from the summit of Hamilton Peak in theCraigieburn Range
The Southern Alps (officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana)[91] are a range of mountains that extend for approximately 500 km (310 mi) northeast to southwest along much of the length of the South Island. They were created by the meeting of the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates. The range includes the South Island's 'Main Divide', which separates the water catchments of the more heavily populated eastern side of the island from those on theWest Coast.[92]
The tallest peak of the Southern Alps isAoraki / Mount Cook, the highest point in New Zealand at 3,724 m (12,218 ft). The Southern Alps include sixteen other points that exceed 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in height. The mountain ranges are bisected by glacial valleys, many of which on the eastern side are infilled with glacial lakes, includingLake Coleridge in the north andLake Wakatipu in Otago in the south.
Most of New Zealand'sglaciers are in the South Island, generally found in the Southern Alps near the Main Divide. According to inventories conducted in the late 1970s and 1980s, the Southern Alps contained over 3,000 glaciers larger than one hectare.[93][94] About a sixth of these glaciers covered more than 10 hectares. These include theFox andFranz Josef glaciers on the West Coast, and theTasman,Hooker,Mueller andMurchison glaciers in the east. The Tasman Glacier is the longest, reaching 23.5 km (14.6 mi) in length. It has retreated from a recent maximum of 29 km (18 mi) in the 1960s.[95][96]
The South Island has 15 named maritimefiords, which are all located in the southwest of the island in a mountainous area known asFiordland. The spelling 'fiord' is used in New Zealand rather than 'fjord', although all the maritime fiords have the word 'Sound' in their name instead. (TheMarlborough Sounds, a series of deep indentations in the coastline at the northern tip of the South Island, are in factrias, drowned river valleys.)
The South Island has eight of New Zealand's 10 biggest lakes, some of which are fiords that became dammed. Much of the higher country in the South Island was covered by ice during theglacial periods of the last two million years. Advancing glaciers eroded largesteep-sided valleys and often formedmoraines, accumulations of rocks and soil that acted as natural dams. When the glaciers retreated, they left basins that are now filled by lakes.Lake McKerrow / Whakatipu Waitai to the north ofMilford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord with a silted-up mouth.Lake Manapouri has fiords as its west, north and south arms.Lake Te Anau has three western arms, which are fiords (and are so named).Lake Wakatipu fills a large glacial valley, as do lakesHakapoua,Poteriteri,Monowai andHauroko in the far south of Fiordland. Lake Hauroko is the deepest (462 m) lake in New Zealand, and one of the deepest lakes in the world.[97][98]
Millions of years ago in theMiocene, Central Otago had a huge lake –Lake Manuherikia. It slowly filled in with mud, andfossils of plants, fish, birds and crocodiles have been found there.[100] A group of fossils from the ancient lake that has been studied is known as theSt Bathans fauna.
Banks Peninsula is roughly circular, with many bays and two deep harbours.
There areextinct volcanoes in the South Island, all located on the east coast.
Banks Peninsula forms the most prominent of these volcanic features. The peninsula comprises the eroded remnants of two largeshield volcanoes.[101] These formed due to intraplate volcanism between about eleven and eight million years ago (Miocene) on a continental crust and together are known as theBanks Peninsula Volcano complex. The peninsula formed as offshore islands, with the volcanoes reaching to about 1,500 m above sea level. Two dominant craters formedLyttelton / Whakaraupō andAkaroa Harbours. The portion of the crater rim lying between Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō and Christchurch city forms thePort Hills.[102]
Otago Harbour was formed from the drowned remnants of a giantshield volcano (theDunedin Volcano) centred close to what is now the town ofPort Chalmers. The remains of this violent origin can be seen in thebasalt of the surrounding hills. The last eruptive phase ended some ten million years ago, leaving the prominent peak ofMount Cargill.[103]
Timaru was constructed on rolling hills created from the lava flows of the extinct Mount Horrible, which last erupted many thousands of years ago.[104][105]
The climate in the South Island is mostlytemperate. The mean temperature for the South Island is 8 °C (46 °F).[106] January and February are the warmest months, while July is the coldest. Historicalmaxima and minima are 42.4 °C (108.3 °F) inRangiora, Canterbury, and −25.6 °C (−14.1 °F) inRanfurly, Otago.[107][108]
Conditions vary sharply across the regions, from extremely wet on theWest Coast tosemi-arid in theMackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury. Most areas have between 600 and 1,600 mm (24–63 in) ofrainfall annually, with the most rain along the West Coast and the least rain on the East Coast, predominantly on theCanterbury Plains.Christchurch is the driest city, receiving about 640 millimetres (25 in) of rain per year, whileInvercargill is the wettest, receiving about 1,150 millimetres (45 in). The southern and south-western parts of South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1,400–1,600 hours ofsunshine annually; the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas and receive about 2,400–2,500 hours.[109]
The Conservation Act 1987 defines a conservation park as an area with predominantly natural systems, managed to maintain protection of ecosystems and historical resources while also providing visitor access. Pre-existing forest parks were transferred to the Department of Conservation in 1987 and became ‘conservation parks’, but have retained the designation ‘forest park’.[111] Conservation and forest parks have a less stringent level of protection than national parks and are used for a wide variety of recreational and commercial activities.[112] There are five forest parks in the South Island that are on public land administered by the Department of Conservation:Mount Richmond Forest Park in Marlborough,Craigieburn,Hanmer andLake Sumner Forest Parks in Canterbury, andVictoria Forest Park in the West Coast region.
Compared to the more populated and multi-ethnic North Island, the South Island has a smaller, more homogeneous resident population of 1,256,700 (June 2025).[1]
In the early years of European settlement in New Zealand, the South Island's percentage of the New Zealand population was far higher than it is today, equalling or even exceeding the population of the North Island. This was exacerbated by theNew Zealand Wars and theOtago gold rush of the 1860s. Since that time, the South Island's population as a percentage of the country's total population has steadily decreased, with the population of the South island now being less than that of the North Island's largest city, Auckland. This disparity has stabilised in recent years, with the2013 and2018 censuses both showing the South Island to have around 23%–24% of the national population. The South Island had a population of 1,185,282 at the2023 census, an increase of 80,745 people (7.3%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 180,882 people (18.0%) since the2013 census.[116]
In June 2025,Statistics New Zealand released new figures from the 2023 Census showing that 86,000 people moved from the North Island to the South Island between 2018 and 2023. During that same period, 30,000 people migrated from the South Island to the North Island.[117]
At the 2023 census, 77.0% of South Islanders identified asNew Zealand European (Pākehā), 11.3% asMāori, 2.6% asChinese, 2.3% each asIndian andFilipino, 1.6% asSamoan, 1.5% asEnglish, and 1.2% as 'New Zealander'. Percentages add to more than 100% as people can identify with more than one ethnicity.[116] New Zealand Europeans form the majority in all districts of the South Island, ranging from 67.5% in theQueenstown-Lakes District to 87.2% in theGrey District.[116]
The proportion of South Islanders born overseas at the 2018 census was 23.1%. The most common foreign countries of birth are England (19.9% of overseas-born residents), the Philippines (9.3%), Australia (8.8%), India (6.6%), Mainland China (5.9%) and South Africa (5.5%).[118]
The South Island is sparsely populated and still predominantly rural areas or nature reserves. However, there are 16 urban areas in the South Island with a population of 10,000 or more:
A number of New Zealand's prominent artists have been heavily influenced by the light and landforms of the South Island.[119]John Gully, occasionally known as 'the Turner of New Zealand'[120] was known for his watercolour landscapes of South Island locations in the 19th century.Rita Angus lived in Christchurch in the 1930s and 1940s and painted many scenes of Canterbury and Otago. Her 1936 paintingCass, portraying a small railway station and the emptiness of the Canterbury landscape, was voted New Zealand's most-loved painting in a 2006 television poll.[121]Toss Woollaston was based in Greymouth in the 1950s and painted many landscapes depicting the West Coast.[122]Leo Bensemann painted over 60 landscapes of the area aroundGolden Bay in the Tasman District during the 1960s–1980s.[119]Grahame Sydney is an artist based in Otago whose works focus on the elements of human impact on Otago's empty landscapes.[123]
In the 1960s and 1970s,Mona Anderson was a popular author in New Zealand, writing about life on a South Islandhigh country station. She is best known forA River Rules My Life.[124] TwoBooker Prize-winning novels have been set in the South Island. Keri Hulme's 1984 bookThe Bone People was set in an isolated area on the coast of the South Island and explores themes of isolation and community.The Luminaries, a novel by Eleanor Catton which won the Booker Prize for 2013, is set on the West Coast during the 19th century gold rush period.TheDenniston Rose (2003) and its sequelHeart of Coal (2004) byJenny Pattrick, set on the harsh and isolatedDenniston Plateau, are two of New Zealand's best-selling novels.[125]Hokitika Town (2011) byCharlotte Randall is a novel told from the point of view of a Māori boy hanging around the pubs of Hokitika in 1865.[126]
Southland and the very southernmost areas ofOtago near the border with Southland are known for the people there speaking with what is often referred to as the "Southland burr", asemi-rhotic, Scottish-influenced accent of the English language.[127][128]
Just over half the population identified as 'no religion' in the 2023 census.[129]
Anglicanism is the largest Christian denomination in the South Island with 12.7 percent affiliating as of 2023.[130] Anglicanism is strongest inCanterbury, the city ofChristchurch having been founded as an Anglican settlement.
Catholicism still has a noticeably strong presence on theWest Coast, where many of the early settlers were Catholic Irish miners,[131] and inKaikōura. The territorial authorities with the highest proportion of Catholics are Kaikōura (where they are 18.4% of the total population),Westland (18.3%), andGrey (17.8%).
Presbyterianism is strong in the lower South Island – the city ofDunedin was founded as a Presbyterian settlement, and many of the early settlers in the region were Scottish Presbyterians. The territorial authorities with the highest proportion of Presbyterians areGore (where they were 30.9% of the total population in 2013),Clutha District (30.7%), andSouthland (29.8%).[130]
The firstMuslims in New Zealand were a few Chinese gold diggers working in the Dunstan gold fields ofOtago in the 1860s.[citation needed]
Secession movements have surfaced several times in the South Island. APremier of New Zealand, SirJulius Vogel, was amongst the first people to make this call, which was voted on by theNew Zealand Parliament as early as 1865. The desire for the South Island to form a separate colony was one of the main factors in moving the capital of New Zealand fromAuckland toWellington that year.
The South Island economy is strongly focused on tourism andprimary industries like agriculture. The other main industry groups are manufacturing, mining, construction, energy supply, education, health and community services.
The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the South Island was estimated at NZ$78.94 billion in the year to March 2022, 21.9% of New Zealand's national GDP. The subnational GDP per capita was estimated at $65,875 in the same period.[135]
The South Island is a major centre for electricity generation, especially in the southern half of the island, and especially from hydroelectricity. In 2010, the island generated18.01 TWh of electricity, 41.5% of New Zealand's total electricity generation. Nearly all (98.7%) of the island's electricity is generated by hydroelectricity, primarily from theWaitaki,Clutha, andManapouri schemes, with most of the remainder coming from wind generation.[136] While the majority of electricity is consumed within the island, a significant percentage is exported to the North Island via theHVDC Inter-Island link.
Tourism is a huge earner for the South Island. Popular tourist activities include sightseeing,adventure tourism, such as glacier climbing and Bungee jumping,tramping (hiking), kayaking, andcamping. Numerous walking and hiking paths, including six of theNew Zealand Great Walks, are located in the South Island and are renowned internationally.[137]
The South Island has astate highway network of 4,921 kilometres (3,058 mi).SH 1 extends down the east coast of the South Island from Picton via Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill toStirling Point, one kilometre south ofBluff. A section of the highway north of Kaikōura was closed from 14 November 2016 to 15 December 2017 due to damage from the2016 Kaikōura earthquake.[139][140]SH6 extends from Blenheim (splitting from SH1) across the top of the island through Nelson, then down the West Coast and across the Southern Alps to Otago and south to Invercargill, where it rejoins SH1.
Commuter and long-distance passenger train services were once extensive, but commuter services were cancelled during the late 1960s to early 1980s due to financial losses.[141] Regional passenger trains are now limited to theCoastal Pacific from Christchurch to Picton and theTranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth. TheSoutherner between Christchurch and Invercargill, once the flagship of the network, was cancelled in 2002.[142] It ran for a few days in 2025 as a tourist excursion,[142] and in 2026 a similar tourist service namedThe Mainlander operated occasionally.[143] The architecturally significantDunedin Railway Station is used byDunedin Railways (formerly Taieri Gorge Railway) tourist trains: the Taieri Gorge Limited along theOtago Central Railway and theSeasider toPalmerston.
The South Island is separated from the North Island by Cook Strait, which is 24 kilometres (15 miles) wide at its narrowest point, and requires a 70 kilometres (43 miles) ferry trip to cross, a trip of between three and three and a half hours. Regularroll-on/roll-offferry services across Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton are operated by two companies:Interislander (a division ofKiwiRail), and Bluebridge (Strait Shipping). One Interislander ferry is arail ferry capable of transporting both road and rail on separate decks. The other ferries carry passengers and road vehicles only. Container ports operate atBluff,Lyttelton (Christchurch),Port Chalmers (Dunedin),Nelson andTimaru.
The main airport in the South Island isChristchurch Airport, which handles international and domestic flights as well as flights to the Chatham Islands and Antarctica. Some international services operate fromDunedin Airport andQueenstown Airport.
^Keith, Hamish (2007).The Big Picture: A history of New Zealand art from. 1642. Godwit. pp. 11–16.ISBN978-1-86962-132-2.
^Taiuru, Karaitiana."Ancient Iwi".ngaitahu.maori.nz. Ngāi Tahu Pepeha Resources. Retrieved28 October 2022.Waitaha/Te Kapuwai [:] The third tribe to settle in the South Island between 1477–1577.Pā at the mouth of Molyneux River, Lake Te Anau, Lake Wakatipu and Oamaru.
^Bennett, R.S. (2007).Treaty to Treaty : a history of early New Zealand from the Treaty of Tordesillas 1494 to the Treaty of Waitangi 1840. Vol. 1. RSB Publications.ISBN978-0-473-12146-4.
^Wright, Stephen; Wright, Matthew (2009).Journey to the Pass: Memories of the Midland Line. Christchurch, New Zealand: Hilton Press. p. 29.ISBN978-0-473-14641-2.
^Beck, Alan Copland (2009) [1966]."Topography". In McLintock, A.H. (ed.).Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
^Shoebridge, Tim (2018)."Anderson, Amy Mona".Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved12 September 2021.
