Otago

Otago Ōtākou (Māori)
Region of New Zealand
Otago Region
Flag
Otago Region in New Zealand
Country	New Zealand
Island	South Island
Established	1848 (Dunedin settlement) 1852 (Otago Province)
Seat	Dunedin
Territorial authorities	List Waitaki District (40.39%)
Government
• Chair	Gretchen Robertson
• Deputy Chair	Lloyd McCall
Area
• Region	31,251 km2 (12,066 sq mi)
• Land	31,186.16 km2 (12,041.04 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)[1]
• Region	254,600
• Density	8.1/km2 (21/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	NZ$ 15.336 billion (2021)
• Per capita	NZ$ 62,518 (2021)
Time zone	UTC+12:00 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13:00 (NZDT)
HDI (2021)	0.932[3] very high · 6th
Website	www.Otago.co.nz www.ORC.govt.nz

Otago (/əˈtɑːɡoʊ/ ^ⓘ, /oʊ-, ɒ-/^[4]; Māori: Ōtākou [ɔːˈtaːkou]) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately 32,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi),^[5] making it the country's second largest local government region. Its population was 254,600 in June 2023.^[1]

The name "Otago" is the local

Initial settlement was concentrated on the port and city, then expanded, notably to the south-west, where the fertile

New Zealand's first university, the University of Otago, was founded in 1869 as the provincial university in Dunedin.^[12]

The Province of Southland separated from Otago Province and set up its own Provincial Council at

Geography

Beginning in the west, the geography of Otago consists of high alpine mountains. The highest peak in Otago (and highest outside the

The country's fourth-longest river, the

Travelling east from the mountains, the

The main Central Otago centres, such as Alexandra and Cromwell, are found in the intermontane basins between the block mountains. The schist bedrock influence extends to the eastern part of Otago, where remnant volcanics mark its edge. The remains of the most spectacular of these are the Miocene volcanics centred on Otago Harbour. Elsewhere, basalt outcrops can be found along the coast and at other sites.

Comparatively similar terrain exists in the high plateau land of the

Weather conditions vary enormously across Otago, but can be broken into two broad types: the coastal climate of the coastal regions and the more continental climate of the interior.[16]

Coastal regions of Otago are subject to the alternating warm and dry/cool and wet weather patterns common to the interannual

Typically, winters are cool and wet in the extreme south areas and snow can fall and settle to sea level in winter, especially in the hills and plains of South Otago. More Central and Northern Coastal areas winter is sunnier and drier. Summers, by contrast, tend to be warm and dry, with temperatures often reaching the high 20s and low 30s Celsius.

In

Otago Region covers 31,186.16 km² (12,041.04 sq mi).^[18] The population is 254,600 as of June 2023,^[1][1] which is approximately 4.9 percent of New Zealand's total population of 5.2 million. The population density is 8.2 people per km². About 41.7 percent of the population resides in the Dunedin urban area—the region's main city and the country's sixth largest urban area. For historical and geographical reasons, Dunedin is usually regarded as one of New Zealand's four main centres. Unlike other southern centres, Dunedin's population has not declined since the 1970s, largely due to the presence of the University of Otago – and especially its medical school – which attracts students from all over New Zealand and overseas.^[19]

Other significant urban centres in Otago with populations over 1,000 include:

Ethnicities were 86.9% European/Pākehā, 8.7% Māori, 2.7% Pasifika, 7.1% Asian, and 3.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 21.7, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.8% had no religion, 33.4% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.7% were Muslim, 0.7% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 42,816 (22.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 31,122 (16.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $30,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 26,988 people (14.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 92,418 (49.2%) people were employed full-time, 30,396 (16.2%) were part-time, and 6,048 (3.2%) were unemployed.^[21]

The majority of the population of European lineage is of Scottish stock—the descendants of early Scottish settlers from the early 19th century. Other well-represented European groups include those of English, Irish, and Dutch descent. A large proportion of the Māori population are from the Ngāi Tahu iwi or tribe. Other significant ethnic minorities include Asians, Pacific Islanders, Africans, Latin Americans and Middle Easterners.^[24] Otago's early waves of settlement, especially during and immediately after the gold rush of the 1860s, included a substantial minority of southern (Guangdong) Chinese settlers, and a smaller but also prominent number of people from Lebanon.^[25] The region's Jewish population also experienced a small influx at this time. The early and middle years of the twentieth century saw smaller influxes of immigrants from several mainland European countries, most notably the Netherlands.

In line with the region's Scottish heritage,

Oamaru

Dunedin

Queenstown

Alexandra

Balclutha

Wānaka

class=notpageimage|

Location of main settlements in Otago

Politics

Local government

The seat of the Otago Regional Council is in Dunedin. The council is chaired by Andrew Noone as of July 2021^[update].

There are five territorial authorities in Otago:

• Queenstown-Lakes District
• Central Otago District
• Dunedin City
• Clutha District
• Waitaki District

Parliamentary representation

Otago is represented by four parliamentary electorates. Dunedin and nearby towns are represented by the Dunedin electorate, held by Rachel Brooking, and the Taieri electorate, occupied by Ingrid Leary. Both MPs are members of the Labour Party, and Dunedin has traditionally been a Labour stronghold. Since 2008 the rest of Otago has been divided between the large rural electorates of Waitaki, which also includes some of the neighbouring Canterbury Region, and Clutha-Southland, which also includes most of the rural part of the neighbouring Southland Region. The Waitaki electorate has traditionally been a National Party stronghold and is currently held by Miles Anderson. The Southland electorate, also a National Party stronghold, is currently represented by Joseph Mooney. The earlier Otago electorate existed from 1978 to 2008, when it was split and merged into Waitaki and Clutha-Southland.

Two list MPs are based in Dunedin – Michael Woodhouse of the National Party and Rachel Brooking of the Labour Party. One-time Labour Party Deputy Leader David Parker is a former MP for the Otago electorate and currently a list MP.

Under the

Ngāi Tahu governance

Three of the 18 Ngāi Tahu Rūnanga (councils) are based in the Otago Region. Each one is centred on a coastal marae, namely Ōtākou, Moeraki and Puketeraki at Karitane.^[27] There is also the Arai Te Uru Marae in Dunedin.^[28]

Economy

The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Otago was estimated at NZ$14.18 billion^[29] in the year to March 2020, 4.38% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $58,353 in the same period. In the year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $1.25 billion (9.8%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $2.38 billion (18.6%), service industries contributed $8.05 billion (63.0%), and taxes and duties contributed $1.10 billion (8.6%).^[30]

Otago has a mixed economy. Dunedin is home to manufacturing, publishing and technology-based industries. Rural economies have been reinvigorated in the 1990s and 2000s: in Clutha district, farms have been converted from sheep to more lucrative dairying. Vineyard planting and production remained modest until the middle of the 1990s when the New Zealand wine industry began to expand rapidly. The Central Otago wine region produces wine made from varieties such as the Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot and Riesling grapes. It has an increasing reputation as New Zealand's leading Pinot noir region.^[31]

Education

Otago has numerous rural primary schools, several small town primary and secondary schools, and some larger schools in

See also

• North Otago, the northern area of the region
• Otago Central Rail Trail
• Otago Rugby Football Union
• North Otago Rugby Football Union

References