Southland Regional Council Community Profile
The Community Profile provides information about your local community.
Population
At the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings:
- The usually resident population count for Southland Region1 Council was 90,876, a change of -0.1% since 2001.
- In comparison, the population for New Zealand as a whole had increased by 7.8% since 2001.
| Southland Region | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 45,171 | 1,965,618 |
| Female | 45,702 | 2,062,329 |
| Total | 90,876 | 4,027,947 |
| Change Since 2001 Census | -129 | 290,670 |
1The area used for this profile is based on Statistics New Zealand's regional council.
Age Profile
- 21.2% of people in Southland Region Council were under the age of 15 years, compared with 21.5% for all of New Zealand.
- 13.9% of people in Southland Region Council were age 65 years or over, compared with 12.3% for all of New Zealand.
| Southland Region | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 21.2% | 21.5% |
| 15-64 | 64.9% | 66.2% |
| 65+ | 13.9% | 12.3% |
Ethnic groups (total responses)
At the 2006 census:
- 72.0% of people in Southland Region Council were said they belong to the European ethnic group, compared with 61.2% percent for all of New Zealand.
| Southland Region | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| European | 72.0% | 61.2% |
| Maori | 10.8% | 13.3% |
| Pacific Peoples | 1.5% | 6.2% |
| Asian | 1.2% | 8.3% |
| MELAA1 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Other | 14.4% | 10.1% |
1People represented in MELAA include people of Middle Eastern, African and Latin American ethnicities.
Employment
At the 2006 Census:
- The unemployment rate in Southland Region was 2.7%, compared with 3.4% for all of New Zealand.
- The most popular occupational group in the Southland Region was Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing. The most popular occupational group for New Zealand as a whole was Manufacturing.
Income
At the 2006 Census:
- The median income of people in Southland Region Council is $23,200, compared with $24,400 for all of New Zealand.
| Southland Region | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 or Less | 10.2% | 12.1% |
| $5,001 - $10,000 | 7.4% | 7.2% |
| $10,001 - $20,000 | 23.0% | 19.5% |
| $20,001 - $30,000 | 15.9% | 13.8% |
| $30,001 - $50,000 | 22.2% | 21.1% |
| $50,001 or More | 13.2% | 16.2% |
| Not Stated | 8.2% | 10.2% |
Households
At the 2006 Census:
- The average household size in Southland Region was 2.6 people, compared with 2.8 for all of New Zealand.
- 88.4% of households in Southland Region Council had access to a telephone, compared with 87.8% for all of New Zealand.
- 71.2% of households in Southland Region Council had access to a cellphone, compared with 71.1% for all of New Zealand.
- 51.5% of households in Southland Region Council had access to a internet, compared with 58.0% for all of New Zealand.
- 89.7% of households in Southland Region Council had access to a motor vehicle, compared with 88.1% for all of New Zealand.
- There were 35,319 households in Southland Region Council.
- For dwellings that were rented, the average weekly rent paid for permanent private dwellings in Southland Region Council was $134, compared with $225 for New Zealand as a whole.
- 74.9% of dwellings in Southland Region were owned with or without a mortgage, compared with 68.9% for all of New Zealand.
Business
At the 2006 Census:
- There were 8,718 businesses in Southland Region compared with 354,087 for all of New Zealand.
The information in this profile is based on the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings, the 2001 Household Expenditure Survey and the New Zealand Business Demographic Statistics.
All population statistics are for the usually resident population count and have been randomly rounded to base three to preserve confidentiality.
Percentages have been calculated against complete responses; that is, they exclude cases where no answers were provided and have been calculated on the rounded data so do not always total 100%.


