With a population of 1,256,700 as of June 2025,[2] the South Island is home to 24% of New Zealand's 5.3 million inhabitants. After the 1860sgold rushes in the early stages ofEuropean settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth. 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 South Island (political geography includingStewart Island and smaller surrounding islands), in relation to theNorth Island
The island has been known in English as theSouth Island for many years. TheTe Reo Māori name for itTe Waipounamu now also has official recognition.[4][5] The name is most often translated to mean "the water(s) ofpounamu",[6] but possibly evolved fromTe Wāhi Pounamu ("the place ofpounamu").[citation needed] It was first recorded in English by CaptainJames Cook on hisvoyage to New Zealand in 1769. North Island iwi alternatively used the nameTe Waka-a-Māui ("the canoe ofMāui") for the South Island.[7]
In the 19th century, some maps identified the South Island asMiddle Island orNew Munster (named afterMunster province in Southern Ireland) with the nameSouth Island orNew Leinster was used for today'sStewart Island.[8] In 1907, the Minister for Lands gave instructions to the Land and Survey Department that the name Middle Island was not to be used in the future. "South Island will be adhered to in all cases".[9]
Although the island had been known as the South Island for many years, in 2009 theNew Zealand Geographic Board found that along with the North Island, the South Island had no official name.[10] After a public consultation, the board officially named the islandSouth Island or Te Waipounamu in October 2013.[5]
In prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are calledthe North Island andthe South Island, with thedefinite article.[11] It is also normal to use theprepositionin rather thanon, for example "Christchurch is in the South Island", "my mother lives in the South Island".[12] Maps, headings, tables, and adjectival expressions useSouth Island without "the".[13][14]
As it is 32% larger than the North Island but contains less than a quarter of the country's population, the South Island is sometimes humorously nicknamed the "mainland" of New Zealand by its residents.[15][16]
The island is also known asTe Waka a Māui which means "Māui'sCanoe". In some modern alliterations of Māori legends, the South Island existed first, as the boat of Māui, while the North Island wasthe fish that he caught.
Various Māoriiwi sometimes use different names, with some preferring to call the South IslandTe Waka o Aoraki,[17] referring to another Māori legend called the story of Aoraki, as after the world was created, Aoraki and his three brothers came down in a waka 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, in turn causing the waka to transform into an island and the four brothers into the mountain ranges on top of it.[18]
c.1280-c.1500 They made charcoal drawings in over 550 rock shelters across the South Island. They portrayed animals, people and fantastic creatures, possibly stylised reptiles. Some of the birds pictured are now extinct, includingmoa andHaast's eagles. They were drawn by earlyMāori but by the time Europeans arrived, local Māori did not know the origins of the drawings.[20][21]
c.1500-c.1600 The Waitaha were largely absorbed through marriage and conquest by theKāti Māmoe in the 16th century.[22]
c.1600-c.1700 Kāti Māmoe were in turn largely absorbed by theKāi Tahu who migrated south in the 17th century.[23]
1642 The Dutch explorer,Abel Tasman, sailed along the West Coast and anchored inGolden Bay. Before leaving, and without landing, he named the bay Murderers Bay following a clash with local Māori. He named the islands he had seen and partially mapped,Nieuw Zeeland, which was subsequently Anglicised toNew Zealand.[citation needed]
1773 On his second voyage, Cook usesQueen Charlotte Sound as a rendezvous after separating fromTobias Furneaux in fog. Furneaux arrives four days after Cook left and ten of Furneaux's crew were then killed by Maori.[citation needed]
1827–28, Ngati Toa attackedKāi Tahu atKaikōura and then visitedKaiapoi Pā to trade. While there they were attacked by surprise and all the leading Ngāti Toa chiefs were killed except Te Rauparaha, who returned toKapiti Island.[30]
1830,Te Rauparaha and Kāi Toa, helped by Captain John Stewart of the brigElizabeth, return toAkaroa. By surprise they captured the leading Kāi Tahu chief,Tama-i-hara-nui and his family. They then destroying the village, took captives back to Kapiti and killed them. John Stewart, sent to trial in Sydney, escaped conviction because Ngāi Tahu, as ‘incompetent’ as 'heathens', could not act as witnesses.[24][31]
1831–32 Te Rauparaha attacked the Kaiapoipā (fortified village) in a three-month successful siege. He then attacked Kāi Tahu onBanks Peninsula and took theOnawe pā. In 1832–33, Kāi Tahu retaliated, attacking Ngāti Toa atLake Grassmere. Kāi Tahu prevailed after about a year but Te Rauparaha again escaped. Ngāti Toa never again made a major incursion into Kāi Tahu territory.[24]
1836 A 100-personNgāti Tama war party, armed withmuskets, travelled down theWest Coast and over theHaast Pass. They fell on a regional the Ngāi Tahu encampment, capturing ten people, killing and eating two children.[32] Ngati Tama then took captives to Southland where they were destroyed by the southern Ngāi Tahu.[33]
1840 On 21 May,William Hobson declared British sovereignty over the Middle (South) Island on the basis of discovery (by James Cook). On 28 May, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Maori chiefs at Akaroa.[34][35][36][37][38]
1842 The Nelson settlement began, with the first four immigrant ships arriving in February 1842. but the lack of definition would prove the source of much future conflict. The three colony ships sailed into Nelson Haven during the first week of November 1841. When the first four immigrant ships arrived in February 1842. The town was laid out on agrid plan by theNew Zealand Company.[39]
1843 TheWairau Affray in Marlborough was the only Māori armed clash with settlers on the South Island:four Maori and 22 settlers killed.[40]
1850 The Canterbury Settlement began with the arrival of the First Four Ships in Lyttelton harbour in December 1850.[citation needed]
1851-1858 - The Rhodes Brothers began a loading business by an abandoned whaling station. After buying land behind Caroline Bay, they laid out a town plan there in 1853. A Crown Agent was appointed in 1857 to control issues from use of the beach by other land owners.[41]
1859 - The shipStrathallen brought the first 100 organised settlers from Britain to Timaru.[41]
1860s several thousand Chinese men, mostly fromGuangdong, migrated to New Zealand to work on the South Island goldfields.[42]
Notable events specific to the South Island (c.1860-present)
The South Island has no separately representedcountry subdivision, but is guaranteed 16 of theelectorates in theNew Zealand House of Representatives.[45] A two-tier structure constituted under theLocal Government Act 2002 gives the South Island (and its adjacent islands) sevenregional councils for the administration of regional environmental and transport matters and 25territorial authorities that administer roads, sewerage, building consents, and other local matters. Four of the territorial councils (one city and three districts) also perform the functions of a regional council and are known asunitary authorities under the New Zealand government.
When New Zealand was separated from the colony of New South Wales in 1841 and established as aCrown colony in its own right, theRoyal Charter effecting this provided that "the principal Islands, heretofore known as, or commonly called, the 'Northern Island', the Middle Island', and 'Stewart's Island', shall henceforward be designated and known respectively as 'New Ulster', 'New Munster', and 'New Leinster'".[8]
These divisions were of geographical significance only, not used as a basis for the government of the colony, which was centralised inAuckland. New Munster consisted of the South Island. The name New Munster was given by theGovernor of New Zealand, CaptainWilliam Hobson, in honour ofMunster, the Irish province in which he was born.
The situation was altered in 1846 when theNew Zealand Constitution Act 1846[46] divided the colony into twoprovinces:New Ulster Province (the North Island north of the mouth of thePatea River), andNew Munster Province (and the southern portion of theNorth Island, up to the mouth of thePatea River, the South Island, and Stewart Island). Each province had a Governor and Legislative and Executive Council, in addition to the Governor-in-Chief and Legislative and Executive Council for the whole colony. The 1846 Constitution Act was later suspended, and only the provincial government provisions were implemented. Early in 1848Edward John Eyre was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster.
The Provincial Council of New Munster had only one legislative session, in 1849, before it succumbed to the virulent attacks of settlers fromWellington. Governor SirGeorge Grey, sensible to the pressures, inspired an ordinance of the General Legislative Council under which new Legislative Councils would be established in each province with two-thirds of their members elected on a generous franchise. Grey implemented the ordinance with such deliberation that neither Council met before advice was received that the United Kingdom Parliament had passed theNew Zealand Constitution Act 1852.
This act dissolved these provinces in 1853, after only seven years' existence, and New Munster was divided into the provinces ofWellington Province,Canterbury,Nelson, andOtago. Each province had its own legislature known as a Provincial Council that elected its own Speaker and Superintendent.
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.
On 13 October 2010, South Island Mayors led byBob Parker of Christchurch displayed united support for aSouthern Mayoral Council. Supported byWaitaki MayorAlex Familton andInvercargill MayorTim Shadbolt, Bob Parker said that increased cooperation and the forming of a new South Island-wide mayoral forum were essential to representing the island's interests in Wellington and countering the newAuckland Council.[49]
There are 23 territorial authorities within the South Island: 4city councils and 19district councils. Three territorial authorities (Nelson City Council, and theTasman andMarlborough District Councils) also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities.
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).[2]
The South Island had a population of 1,185,282 at the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 80,745 people (7.3%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 180,882 people (18.0%) since the2013 census. Of the total population, 202,311 people (17.1%) were aged under 15 years, 225,048 (19.0%) were 15 to 29, 538,965 (45.5%) were 30 to 64, and 218,958 (18.5%) were 65 or older.[53]
At the2018 New Zealand census, there were 571,656 males and 577,914 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female.[52]
In the early years of European settlement in New Zealand, the South Island's overall percentage of the New Zealand population was far higher, 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 growing disparity has stabilised in recent years, with both the2013 and2018 censuses showing the South Island to have a very similar percentage of the national population (around 23%–24%).
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.[54]
Christchurch, the most populous city in South IslandDunedinNelsonMarket Street, BlenheimStafford Street, the heart of Timaru's CBD
At the 2023 census, 82.8% of South Islanders identified asEuropean (Pākehā), 11.3% asMāori, 3.4% asPacific peoples, 10.5% asAsian, 1.6% as Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, 1.4% as other ethnicities. Percentages add to more than 100% as people can identify with more than one ethnicity.[53]
Europeans form the majority in all districts of the South Island, ranging from 75.9% in Christchurch City to 92.1% in theWaimakariri district.[53]
The proportion of South Islanders born overseas at the 2018 census was 21.4%. The most common foreign countries of birth are England (22.0% of overseas-born residents), Australia (8.8%), the Philippines (7.9%), Mainland China (6.5%) and India (5.4%).[55]
Around 48.6 percent of South Islanders affiliate with Christianity and 3.1 percent affiliate with non-Christian religions, while 45.8 percent are irreligious.Anglicanism is the largest Christian denomination in the South Island with 12.7 percent affiliating, closely followed byCatholicism at 12.1 percent andPresbyterianism at 11.7 percent.[56] These figures are somewhat skewed between the regions of the south, due largely to the original settlement of southern cities (Dunedin, for example, was founded by Scottish Presbyterians, whereas Christchurch was founded by English Anglicans).
The South Island is sparsely populated and still predominantly rural areas or nature reserves. However, there are 15 urban areas in the South Island with a population of 10,000 or more:
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.[57]
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.[58] While the majority of electricity is consumed within the island, a significant percentage is exported to the North Island via theHVDC Inter-Island link.
Offshore oil and gas is likely to become an increasingly important part of the South Island economy into the future.Origin Energy has formed a joint venture withAnadarko Petroleum, the second-largest independent U.S. natural gas producer, to begin drilling for oil in theCanterbury Basin off the coast ofDunedin. The 390 km2, Carrack/Caravel prospect has the potential to deliver more than the equivalent of 500,000,000 barrels (79,000,000 m3) of oil and gas. Market analyst, Greg Easton from Craigs Investment Partners commented that such a substantial find it could well turnDunedin from theEdinburgh of the south to theAberdeen of the south.[59]
Approximate location of the Great South Basin with approximate location of allocated oil exploration blocks
TheGreat South Basin off the coast of Otago andSouthland at over 500,000 square kilometres (190,000 sq mi) (covering an area 1.5 times New Zealand's landmass) is one of New Zealand's largest undeveloped offshore petroleum basins with prospects for both oil and gas. In July 2007, the New Zealand Government awarded oil and gas exploration permits for four areas of the Great South Basin, situated in the volatile waters off the Southern Coast of New Zealand. The three successful permit holders are:[60]
a consortium led byExxonMobil New Zealand (Exploration) Limited (United States) which includes local companyTodd Exploration Limited (New Zealand);
Due to thegold rushes of the 1860s, the South Island had regional stock exchanges inChristchurch,Dunedin andInvercargill – all of which were affiliated to the Stock Exchange Association of New Zealand. However, in 1974 these regional exchanges were amalgamated to form one national stock exchange, the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE). Separate trading floors operated in both Christchurch and Dunedin until the late 1980s. On 30 May 2003, New Zealand Stock Exchange Limited formally changed its name toNew Zealand Exchange Limited, trading as NZX.
Today, theDeloitte South Island Index[61] is compiled quarterly from publicly available information provided by NZX, Unlisted and Bloomberg. It is a summary of the movements in market capitalisation of each South Island-based listed company. A company is included in the Index where either its registered office and/or a substantial portion of its operations are focused on the South Island.
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.[62]
A number of other secondary routes are now closed, including theOtago Central Railway, the isolatedNelson Section, and the interdependentWaimea Plains Railway andKingston Branch. An expansive network of branch lines once existed, especially in Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, but these are now almost completely closed. The branch lines that remain in operation serve ports (Bluff Branch andPort Chalmers Branch), coal mines (Ohai Branch andRapahoe Branch), and a dairy factory (Hokitika Branch). The first 64 km of the Otago Central Railway remain in operation for tourist trains run byDunedin Railways (formerly Taieri Gorge Railway). The most significant freight is coal from West Coast mines to the port of Lyttelton for export.
Passenger services were once extensive. Commuter trains operated multiple routes around Christchurch and Dunedin, plus a service between Invercargill and Bluff. Due to substantial losses, these were cancelled between the late 1960s and early 1980s. The final services to operate ran between Dunedin's City Centre and the suburb ofMosgiel, and they ceased in 1982.[64] Regional passenger trains were once extensive, but 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 on 10 February 2002. Subsequently, the architecturally significantDunedin Railway Station has been used solely by the TGR's tourist trains, the Taieri Gorge Limited along the Otago Central Railway and theSeasider toPalmerston. Rural passenger services on branch lines were provided bymixed trains andVulcan/88 seaterrailcars but the mixeds had largely ceased to exist by the 1950s and the railcars were withdrawn in the mid-1970s.
The South Island saw the final use ofsteam locomotives in New Zealand. Locomotives belonging to classes long withdrawn elsewhere continued to operate on West Coast branches until the very late 1960s, when they were displaced byDJ class diesels. In comparison to most countries, where steam locomotives were last used on insubstantial rural and industrial operations, the last services run by steam locomotives were the premier expresses between Christchurch and Invercargill: theSouth Island Limited until 1970 and the Friday and Sunday night services until 1971. This was due to the carriages being steam-heated. The final steam-hauled service in New Zealand, headed by a member of theJA class, ran on 26 October 1971.[65]
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 true-colour image of the South Island, after a powerful winter storm swept across New Zealand on 12 June 2006Lake ŌhauAoraki / Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand
On 4 September 2010, the South Island was struck by a 7.1magnitude earthquake, which caused extensive damage, several power outages, and many reports of aftershocks. Five and a half months later, 22 FebruaryChristchurch earthquake of 6.3 magnitude caused far more additional damage in Christchurch, resulting in 181 deaths.[66] This quake struck at about lunchtime and was centred closer atLyttelton, and shallower than the prior quake, consequently causing extensive damage.[67]
Conditions vary sharply across the regions, from extremely wet on theWest Coast tosemi-arid in theMackenzie Basin of inlandCanterbury. Most areas have between 600 and 1,600 mm (24–63 in) ofrainfall 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.[71]
Panoramic view of some of the Southern Alps in winter from the summit of Hamilton Peak in theCraigieburn Range
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 use the wordSound in their name instead.
Most of New Zealand'sglaciers are in the South Island. They are generally found in theSouthern Alps near the Main Divide.
An inventory of South Island glaciers during the 1980s indicated there were about 3,155 glaciers with an area of at least one hectare (2.5 acres).[72] About a sixth of these glaciers covered more than 10 hectares. These include theFox andFranz Josef glaciers on the West Coast, and theHaupapa / Tasman,Hooker,Mueller andMurchison glaciers in the east.
There are some 3,820 lakes in New Zealand with asurface area larger than one hectare. 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 large steep-sided valleys, and often carried piles ofmoraine (rocks and soil) that acted as natural dams. When the glaciers retreated, they left basins that are now filled by lakes. The level of most glacial lakes in the upper parts of theWaitaki andClutha / Mata-Au rivers are controlled for electricity generation. Hydroelectric reservoirs are common inSouth Canterbury andCentral Otago, the largest of which isLake Benmore, on theWaitaki River.
Banks Peninsula is roughly circular, with many bays and two deep harbours
There are fourextinct volcanoes in the South Island, all located on the east coast.
Banks Peninsula forms the most prominent of these volcanic features. Geologically, the peninsula comprises the eroded remnants of two largeshield volcanoes (Lyttelton formed first, then Akaroa). These formed due to intraplate volcanism between about eleven and eight million years ago (Miocene) on a continental crust. 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.
TheCanterbury Plains formed from the erosion of theSouthern Alps (an extensive and high mountain range caused by the meeting of theIndo-Australian andPacific tectonic plates) and from thealluvial fans created by largebraided rivers. These plains reach their widest point where they meet the hilly sub-region of Banks Peninsula. A layer ofloess, a rather unstable fine silt deposited by thefoehn winds which bluster across the plains, covers the northern and western flanks of the peninsula. The portion of the crater rim lying between Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō and Christchurch city forms thePort Hills.
TheOtago Harbour was formed from the drowned remnants of a giantshield 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.
Timaru was constructed on rolling hills created from the lava flows of the extinct Mount Horrible, which last erupted many thousands of years ago.
It is thought to contain some of the best modern representations of the originalflora andfauna present inGondwanaland, one of the reasons for listing as a World Heritage Site.
(4,520 km2, established 1996) Situated in the north-west of the South Island, Kahurangi comprises spectacular and remote country and includes the Heaphy Track. It has ancient landforms and unique flora and fauna. It is New Zealand's second-largest national park.
(225 km2, established 1942) Has numerous tidal inlets and beaches of golden sand along the shores ofTasman Bay. It is New Zealand's smallest national park.
(1,175 km2, established 1960) Extends from the highest peaks of the Southern Alps to a wild, remote coastline. Included in the park areglaciers, scenic lakes and denserainforest, plus remains of oldgold mining towns along the coast.
(707 km2, established 1953) Analpine park, containing New Zealand's highest mountain,Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,754 m) and its longest glacier,Haupapa / Tasman Glacier (29 km). A focus formountaineering,ski touring and scenic flights, the park is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Together, the Aoraki / Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks have been declared aWorld Heritage Site.
(3,555 km2, established 1964) A complex of impressively glaciated mountain scenery centred onMount Aspiring / Tititea (3,036 m), New Zealand's highest peak outside of the main divide.
(12,519 km2, established 1952) The largest national park in New Zealand and one of the largest in the world. The grandeur of its scenery, with its deepfiords, its lakes of glacial origin, its mountains andwaterfalls, has earned it international recognition as a world heritage area.
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 which formed at theSouth Taranaki Bight. Similarly, the South Island andStewart Island were connected by coastal plains which covered modern-dayFoveaux Strait.[75] During this period, most of the South Island was covered in grassland and glaciers, compared to the woodlands and rainforest which grew in the more temperate North Island.[76] Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating the islands and linking theCook Strait to theTasman Sea.[75]
There are six major hospitals in the South Island:Christchurch Hospital,Dunedin Hospital, Grey Base Hospital (Greymouth), Nelson Hospital, Southland Hospital (Invercargill), and Timaru Hospital. Christchurch Hospital, Dunedin Hospital andWellington Hospital (in the North Island) are the main tertiary hospitals serving the South Island.[78]
Parts of the South Island, principallySouthland and the very southernmost areas ofOtago near the border with Southland, are renowned for its people speaking what is often referred to as the "Southland burr", asemi-rhotic, Scottish-influenceddialect of the English language.
The South Island has a few regional stations (either non-commercial public service or privately owned) that broadcast only in one region or city:45 South TV, Mainland Television,Shine TV, and Visitor TV. These stations mainly broadcast free to air onUHF frequencies; however, some are carried on subscription TV. Content ranges from local news, access broadcasts, satellite sourced news, tourist information and Christian programming to music videos.
Catholicism still has a noticeably strong presence on theWest Coast, 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 are 30.9% of the total population),Clutha District (30.7%), andSouthland (29.8%).
The firstMuslims in New Zealand were Chinese gold diggers working in the Dunstan gold fields ofOtago in the 1860s. Dunedin's Al-Huda mosque is the world's southernmost,[82] and the farthest fromMecca.[83]
TheNew Zealand Police is the primarylaw enforcement agency of New Zealand, including the South Island. Threedecentralised Police Districts cover the entire South Island, with each being commanded by aSuperintendent and having a central station from which subsidiary and suburban stations are managed.[84] The Christchurch Police Communications Centre handles all emergency and general calls within the South Island.
The Tasman Police District covers 70,000 kilometres[clarification needed] of territory, encompassing the northern and most of the western portion of the South Island. The West Coast alone spans the distance betweenWellington andAuckland. There are 22 police stations in the Tasman District, with 6 being sole-charge – or one-person – stations. The Tasman Police District has a total of 302 sworn police officers and 57 civilian or nonsworn staff. Organisationally, the district has its headquarters inNelson and has three distinct Areas, each headed by anInspector as its commander. The areas areNelson Bays,West Coast andMarlborough.
The Canterbury Police District is based inChristchurch the largest city in the South Island and covers an area extending from theConway River, (just south ofKaikōura), to theWaitaki River, south ofTimaru.
The Southern Police District with its headquarters inDunedin spans fromOamaru in the North through toStewart Island in the far South covers the largest geographical area of any of the 12 police districts in New Zealand. The Southern District has three distinct Areas headed by Inspectors; Otago Rural, Southland and Dunedin.
Correctional facilities in the South Island are operated by theDepartment of Corrections as part of the South Island Prison Region.Christchurch Prison, also known as Paparua, is located inTempleton a satellite town ofChristchurch. It accommodates up to 780 minimum, medium, and high-security male prisoners. It was built in 1925, and also includes a youth unit, a self-care unit and thePaparua Remand Centre (PRC), built in 1999 to replace the oldAddington Prison. Christchurch Women's Prison, also located inTempleton, is a facility for women of all security classifications. It has the only maximum/medium security accommodation for women prisoners in New Zealand. It can accommodate up to 98 prisoners.
Rolleston prison is located inRolleston, another satellite town ofChristchurch. It accommodates around 320 male prisoners of minimum to low-medium security classifications and includesKia Marama a sixty-bed unit that provides an intensive 9-month treatment programme for male child sex offenders. Invercargill Prison, inInvercargill, accommodates up to 172 minimum to low-medium security prisoners. Otago Corrections Facility is located nearMilton and houses up to 335 minimum to high-medium security male prisoners.
As well as rugby union and cricket, the South Island also boasts representative teams in the domesticbasketball, soccer,ice hockey,netball, andrugby league.
TheNorth vs South match, sometimes known as the Interisland match, is a longstanding rugby union fixture in New Zealand. The first game was played in 1897, the most recent one in 2020.[86]
^Taiuru, Karaitiana."Ancient Iwi". Ngāi Tahu Pepeha. 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.
^Keith, Hamish (2007).The Big Picture: A history of New Zealand art from. 1642. Godwit. pp. 11–16.ISBN978-1-86962-132-2.
^Chris Maclean,Kapiti, p.115,ISBN0-473-06166-X. The deaths of Tamaiharanui, his kindred and Nga Roimata are narrated inAlistair Campbell's poemReflections on Some Great Chiefs
^Attwood, Bain (2020).Empire and the Making of Native Title Sovereignty, Property and Indigenous People. Google Books: CUP. pp. 158–161.ISBN9781108809504.
^Schrader, Ben (26 March 2015) [11 March 2010]."City planning – Early settlement planning".Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved23 September 2023.The New Zealand Company settlements – including Wellington, New Plymouth and Nelson – were highly planned...All towns were laid out on a rectilinear or grid plan.
^Michael King (2003).The Penguin History of New Zealand. Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-301867-4.
^Living Density: Table 1Archived 28 November 2007 at theWayback Machine, Housing Statistics, Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2009. Areas are based on 2001 boundaries. Water bodies greater than 15 hectares are excluded.
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