Ashburton District

Ashburton District
Geographical location
Location of the Ashburton District
Photo from the Ashburton District
View of Ashburton
Local authority
Country	New Zealand
island	South island
region	Canterbury
Local authority	District
Council	Ashburton District Council
Headquarters of the administration	Ashburton (New Zealand)
mayor	Donna Favel
founding	1989
Post Code	7700, 7710, 7771-7778, 7781, 7782, 7784, 7791
Telephone code	+64 (0) 3
Website	www.ashburtondc.govt.nz
geography
Region ISO	NZ-CAN
Coordinates	43 ° 54 ′  S , 171 ° 45 ′  E Coordinates: 43 ° 54 ′  S , 171 ° 45 ′  E
Highest elevation	2543 m
Lowest point	Height of sea level
surface	6th 183  km 2
Residents	31 041 (2013)
Population density	5.02 inhabitants per km 2
Statistical data
GDP (Engl. GDP)	NZ $ 1.736 billion  (2014)
GDP / capita	NZ $ 55,926  per inhabitant
Public revenue	NZ $ 49.1 million  (2015)
Public expenditure	NZ $ 51.1 million  (2015)
Number of households	13 761 (2013)
Ø income	NZ $ 32,900  (2013)
Māori population	7.1% (2013)

The Ashburton District is an administrative unit in the Canterbury region in New Zealand . The district council, called the Ashburton District Council , is based in the city of Ashburton , as is the district administration.

geography

Geographical location

The Ashburton District has a total land area of ​​6183 km², making it the fifth largest district in the Canterbury region . At the census in 2013, the district had 31,041 inhabitants, bringing it to a population density of 5.0 inhabitants per km².

In the northwest, the district borders the Westland District , which belongs to the West Coast region. In the southwest the Timaru District forms the common border and in the northeast this is the Selwyn District . The southeast border is formed by the coastline of the Pacific Ocean .

The landscape in the southeast of the district is dominated by the wide plain between the two rivers Rakaia River and Ragitata River , both of which also represent the natural boundaries of the district to the northeast and southwest. The plain is part of the Canterbury Plains stretching on the central east coast of the South Island . The northwestern part of the district is determined by the New Zealand Alps and their eastern foothills. The highest mountain in the district is Mount Whitcombe, 2650  m high . It is surrounded by numerous other two-thousand- meter peaks.

By far the largest city is Ashburton with 18,471 inhabitants, followed by Methven with 1,707 inhabitants and Rakaia with 1,113 inhabitants. All other places are below 1000 inhabitants.

climate

Most of the Ashburton District is completely in the slipstream of the western New Zealand Alps . With around 700 mm of precipitation per year, the part is comparatively dry. Further to the west, precipitation amounts of more than 1200 mm are to be expected, in the Alpine regions more than 2000 mm. The average daytime temperatures in summer are between 20 ° C and 24 ° C in the eastern part and between 11 ° C and 16 ° C in the western part, depending on the altitude. With the exception of the coastal region, the average daytime temperatures in the hinterland in winter are in the single-digit minus range, on the coast and in the eastern part of the plains, however, between 1 ° C and 3 ° C. The annual sunshine duration is between 2000 and 2050 hours in the eastern part and between 1500 and 1800 hours in the western part, depending on the altitude.

population

Population development

Of the 31,041 inhabitants of the district in 2013, 2,196 inhabitants were of Māori origin (7.1%). This means that 0.4% of the country's Māori population lived in the Ashburton District . The median income in the population in 2013 was NZ $ 32,900  compared to NZ $ 28,500 national average.

Origin and languages

When asked about ethnic group membership in the 2013 census, 88.3% said they were European, 7.3% said they had Māori roots, 3.4% came from the islands of the Pacific and 3.9 % came from Asia (multiple answers were possible). 15.3% of the population said they were born overseas. 1.6% of the population spoke Māori as the second most common language after English, among the Māori 13.9%.

politics

administration

The Ashburton District is again divided into three wards , the Ashburton Ward with six councilors (councilors), the Eastern Ward with three and the Western Ward with two councilors . The thirteen Councilors , together with the Mayor, form the District Council and are elected every three years.

Town twinning

The Ashburton District has four twinned cities:

• Pulaski County , State of Virginia , USA , since March 1974
• Ashburton , Devon , United Kingdom , since March 1982
• Shiozawa (Niigata) , Niigata Prefecture , Japan , since October 1987
• Puyang , Henan Province , People's Republic of China , since September 2000

economy

Farming is the main industry in the district , generating more than 1/3 of the gross domestic product (GDP), which in 2014 was  NZ $ 1,736. Another important branch of the economy is tourism, which provides income especially in the western part of the district in the ski areas in winter. The starting point for tourism here is primarily Methven , which is located southeast of the Alpine region.

Infrastructure

Road traffic

The district is connected in terms of traffic by the New Zealand State Highway 1 , which, coming from the south, crosses the district in a north-easterly direction at a distance of around 15 km along the coast and connects with Timaru , Oamaru , Dunedin and Invercargill in the south and a connection to the north Christchurch and the northern parts of the South Island. The State Highways 72 and 77 are cross connections here in the district.

Rail transport

The South Island Main Trunk Railway runs parallel to State Highway 1 and connects the district with Invergarcill in the south and Christchurch in the north and other northern parts of the South Island. However, only goods are transported on this railway line.

Web links

• Homepage . Ashburton District Council,accessed August 7, 2016. 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Postcode Boundaries - Ashburton District . (PDF; 2.7 MB) New Zealand Post , accessed on May 7, 2017 (English).  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Ashburton District - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2016 .  
3. ↑ ^{a b} Fast Facts . (No longer available online.) Ashburton District Council , archived from the original on Aug. 7, 2016 ; accessed on August 7, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Ashburton District Council . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed August 7, 2016 .  
5. ↑ ^{a b} Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2016 .  
6. ↑ GR Macara : The Climate and Weather of Canterbury . In: NIWA Science and Technologies Series . 2nd Edition. Number 68 . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research , 2016, ISSN 1173-0382 , p.   6, 16, 24, 29 (English, online [PDF; 6.6 MB ; accessed on August 7, 2016]).
7. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Ashburton District - Cultural diversity . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2016 .  
8. ^ Council Members . Ashburton District Council , accessed August 7, 2016 .  
9. ^ Sister Cities . Ashburton District Council , accessed August 7, 2016 .