Brighton, New Zealand

Coordinates: 45°56′54.9″S 170°19′38.2″E / 45.948583°S 170.327278°E / -45.948583; 170.327278
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with New Brighton, New Zealand.
"Ocean View, New Zealand" redirects here. For the inner Dunedin suburb occasionally referred to as Ocean View, see Andersons Bay.

Brighton
Settlement
UTC+13 (NZDT)
Area code03
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

Brighton is a small seaside town within the city limits of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island. It is located 20 kilometres southwest from the city centre on the Southern Scenic Route.

History

The area around modern Brighton was not the site of permanent settlement by pre-colonial

sea lion hunting, as well as hunting of moa
. Stone tool making may have also taken place around the area.

European settlement begn in the 1860s. The town was named by an early resident, Hugh Williams, after

commuter settlement
and day-trip destination after World War II.

Geography

Brighton is connected by coastal road with the Dunedin

Ocean View
lies immediately to the east of Brighton, separated from it by a large bluff (simply known as "Big Rock") which juts towards the ocean to the northeast of Brighton Beach. The coast road winds around this headland on its entry to Brighton from Dunedin.

The town faces a small bay which includes a broad sheltered beach, Brighton Beach, and other beaches extend from here, north and east to

Taieri Plains. A small reserve and walkway links the town's main road with the mouth of the Otokia Creek. The reserve contains abundant birdlife, including oystercatchers and spoonbills
.

Demographics

Brighton covers 3.40 km2 (1.31 sq mi)[2] and had an estimated population of 1,540 as of June 2023,[3] with a population density of 453 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,509—    
20131,446−0.61%
20181,473+0.37%
Source: [5]
Brighton Beach, immediately to the southeast of the town

Brighton had a population of 1,473 at the

2006 census
. There were 615 households, comprising 756 males and 717 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 44.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 264 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 213 (14.5%) aged 15 to 29, 768 (52.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 228 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 93.5% European/Pākehā, 10.4% Māori, 1.6% Pasifika, 2.9% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 15.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.5% had no religion, 28.7% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were Hindu, 0.2% were Buddhist and 2.4% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 243 (20.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 240 (19.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 186 people (15.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 645 (53.3%) people were employed full-time, 204 (16.9%) were part-time, and 39 (3.2%) were unemployed.[5]

Education

Big Rock Primary School is a full primary school serving years 1 to 8[6] with a roll of 100 students as of February 2024.[7] The school was created when Brighton and Ocean View schools merged in 2008.[8]

Notable residents

  • James K. Baxter (1926–1972), a poet, grew up here.
  • New Zealand internal rugby union player
    and husband of Adine Wilson lived here.
  • New Zealand international netball
    player and wife of Jeff Wilson.

Notes

  1. ^ "2016 Saddle Hill Community Board Boundary" (PDF). dunedin.govt.nz. Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. ISBN 0-790-00761-4
    .
  5. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Brighton (351200). 2018 Census place summary: Brighton
  6. ^ Education Counts: Big Rock Primary School
  7. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ^ Lewis, John (20 June 2008). "Schools to merge, take new name". Otago Daily Times.
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