Wellington (region)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wellington Region
Greater Wellington
Geographical location
Southland Otago Canterbury West Coast Nelson Tasman Marlborough Northland Auckland Council Waikato Gisborne Bay of Plenty Hawke’s Bay Taranaki Wellington Manawatu-WanganuiWellington in New Zealand.svg
About this picture
Photo from Wellington Region
Miramar Peninsula aerial.jpg
View of Wellington with the mountains in the background
Local authority
Country New Zealand
island North island
Local authority region
Council Wellington Regional Council
Headquarters of the administration Wellington
Telephone code +64 (0) 4
Website www.gw.govt.nz
geography
Region ISO NZ-WGN
Coordinates 41 ° 17 ′  S , 174 ° 49 ′  E Coordinates: 41 ° 17 ′  S , 174 ° 49 ′  E
Highest elevation 1546 m
surface 8th 049  km 2
Residents 471 315 (2013)
Population density 58.56 inhabitants per km 2
Statistical data
Public revenue NZ $ 214.5 million  (2015)
Public expenditure NZ $ 219.4 million  (2015)
Number of households 193 914 (2013)
Ø income NZ $ 32,700  (2013)
Māori population 12.4% (2013)

The Wellington Region , official name: Greater Wellington , is the third smallest administrative region of the North Island of New Zealand . The council of the region, known as the Greater Wellington Regional Council , is based in Wellington , the capital of New Zealand.

geography

The Wellington Region covers the southern part of the North Island of New Zealand with 8049 km² of pure land. With 471,315 inhabitants counted in 2013, the region has a population density of 58.6 inhabitants per km², making it the region with the third highest population density of all 17 regions in the country.

The largest city in the region is by far Wellington City with 190,956 inhabitants, followed by Hutt City with 98,238 inhabitants, Porirua City with 51,717 inhabitants, Upper Hutt City with 40,179 inhabitants and Paraparaumu with around 22,000 inhabitants.

The Wellington region can also be divided into four geographical areas, all of which run more or less parallel in a north-east-south-west direction:

  • The first and westernmost of these four areas is the coastal strip, which is largely located in the Kapiti Coast District . This area is the tourist center of the region.
  • East of it lies in a rejection rough mountain country, the Remutaka Range and the Tararua Range , which is not very densely populated.
  • Again to the east of this is a slightly hilly landscape around the Ruamahanga River , which flows out evenly to the south and there in the swampy areas of Lake Wairarapa and towards the coast.
  • The easternmost area of ​​the region is characterized by a mountain and hilly landscape, the heights of which, with a few exceptions, do not exceed 600  m . These areas are poorly developed.

history

The Wellington region has an eventful history of settlement by Māori and Europeans. In Māori mythology , the southern tip of the north island is called " Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui " ( the head of the fish Maui ). Archaeological studies and finds date the settlement of the western and southern coastal regions to around 1350. But the Polynesian navigator and explorer Kupe is said to have landed in the region in the south even earlier . His descendants came with the Kurahaupo Waka and the Tākitimu Waka .

The first European settlers came in 1838 through the New Zealand Company , organized by William Hayward Wakefield . They founded Wellington and various settlements on the west coast.

population

Population development

Of the 471,315 inhabitants of the region in 2013, 58,338 inhabitants were of Māori origin (12.4%). This means that 9.7% of the country's Māori population lived in the Wellington region . The median income for the population in 2013 was NZ $ 32,700,  compared to NZ $ 28,500 national average.

Origin and languages

When asked about ethnic group membership in the 2013 census, 77.0% said they were European, 13.0% said they had Māori roots, 8.0% came from the islands of the Pacific and 10 , 5% came from Asia (multiple answers were possible). 25.3% of the population said they were born overseas and 3.5% of the population spoke Māori , 20.6% among the Māori .

politics

administration

The Wellington Region has a board of directors called the Regional Council , which is led by a chairman . The council has thirteen elected councilors representing six constituencies , Wellington with five councilors , Lower Hutt with three, Porirua-Tawa with two and Kapiti Coast , Wairarapa and Upper Hutt with one councilor each. The council members, who choose the chairman from their ranks, are re-elected every three years.

Furthermore, the region is divided into five districts and four independent cities:

While the regional administration is responsible for the inland and coastal waters, for the ports, for land, air, erosion, disaster control, transport planning and regional development, the administrations of the districts are responsible for all other concerns of the citizens and the matters which are in a Local authority must be regulated.

Infrastructure

traffic

The Wellington region is accessible by the New Zealand State Highways 1 and 2 , both of which come from the north and run towards Wellington City on both sides of the Tararua Range, thus connecting the capital with the northern part of the North Island. The State Highways 53 and 58 have only a minor role and provide local cross connections.

The North Island Main Trunk Railway , which runs north on the west coast, connects Wellington with the metropolis of Auckland . The port of Wellington and the city's airport connects the region with all other regions of the country by sea and by air. The port of Wellington also creates the extremely important connection between the North and South Island, which is only interrupted by the Cook Strait , a strait that is only about 25 km wide at its narrowest point.

Web links

Commons : Wellington Region  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Homepage . Greater Wellington Regional Council,accessed June 30, 2016.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Wellington Regional Council . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Wellington Region - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  4. ^ Māori history of the Greater Wellington region . Greater Wellington Regional Council , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  5. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Wellington Region - Cultural diversity . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  6. ^ Council and Councillors . Greater Wellington Regional Council , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Glossary . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed June 30, 2016 .