West Eyreton | |
|---|---|
 Community hall at West Eyreton | |
 | |
| Coordinates:43°21′S172°23′E / 43.350°S 172.383°E /-43.350; 172.383 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Territorial authority | Waimakariri District |
| Ward | Oxford-Ohoka Ward |
| Community | Oxford-Ohoka Community |
| Electorates |
|
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Waimakariri District Council |
| • Regional council | Environment Canterbury |
| • Mayor of Waimakariri | Dan Gordon[1] |
| • Waimakariri MP | Matt Doocey |
| • Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
| Area | |
• Total | 114.89 km2 (44.36 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2025)[3] | |
• Total | 1,610 |
| • Density | 14.0/km2 (36.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode | 7475 |
| Area code | 03 |
West Eyreton is a small rural village in theCanterbury region of New Zealand'sSouth Island. It is west ofKaiapoi and north-west ofEyreton and is named afterEdward John Eyre, a 19th-century lieutenant governor of the South Island, then known asNew Munster. In the2001 New Zealand census the population was 1,146 (573 males and 573 females), an increase of 306 or 36.4% since the 1996 census.
In the 1870s, poor transport led to the construction of theEyreton Branchrailway line, which opened on 17 December 1875. Despite its name it ran to the north of Eyreton and originally terminated in West Eyreton, extended to Bennetts Junction on theOxford Branch on 1 February 1878. Beyond Horrelville closed on 9 February 1931, and on 26 May 1954 low traffic led to the closure of the branch. Little remains besides some of the formation and a loading bank at the site of station.
The West Eyreton statistical area covers 114.89 km2 (44.36 sq mi).[2] It had an estimated population of 1,610 as of June 2025,[3] with a population density of 14.0 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,101 | — |
| 2013 | 1,374 | +3.21% |
| 2018 | 1,464 | +1.28% |
| Source:[4] | ||
West Eyreton had a population of 1,464 at the2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 90 people (6.6%) since the2013 census, and an increase of 363 people (33.0%) since the2006 census. There were 507 households, comprising 753 males and 711 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 45.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 300 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 210 (14.3%) aged 15 to 29, 756 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 195 (13.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 94.7% European/Pākehā, 5.7%Māori, 0.6%Pasifika, 3.7%Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 16.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.3% had no religion, 36.7% wereChristian, 0.2% hadMāori religious beliefs, 0.2% wereHindu, 0.2% wereBuddhist and 2.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 216 (18.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 180 (15.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,200, compared with $31,800 nationally. 273 people (23.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 642 (55.2%) people were employed full-time, 216 (18.6%) were part-time, and 24 (2.1%) were unemployed.[4]
West Eyreton School is West Eyreton's only school. It is a state coeducational full primary school[5] with adecile rating of 10 and a roll of 176 students (as of July 2025).[6]
| Climate data for West Eyreton (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 14.3 (57.7) | 11.3 (52.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.2 (54.0) | 14.3 (57.7) | 16.5 (61.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 16.3 (61.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) | 15.9 (60.6) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.2 (52.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.5 (41.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.8 (51.4) | 12.6 (54.7) | 14.7 (58.5) | 10.9 (51.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 8.5 (47.3) | 5.8 (42.4) | 3.4 (38.1) | 0.7 (33.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 1.4 (34.5) | 3.4 (38.1) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.8 (49.6) | 5.6 (42.0) |
| Source: NIWA[7] | |||||||||||||