Otago

Coordinates: 45°52′50″S 170°29′46″E / 45.88056°S 170.49611°E / -45.88056; 170.49611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Otago (disambiguation).

Otago
Ōtākou (Māori)
Region
Otago Region
Flag
Northland RegionAuckland RegionWaikato RegionTaranakiBay of Plenty RegionGisborne DistrictHawke's BayManawatū-WhanganuiWellington RegionNelson, New ZealandTasman DistrictMarlborough DistrictCanterbury RegionOtagoSouthland RegionSouthland RegionWest Coast Region
Otago within New Zealand
CountryNew Zealand
IslandSouth Island
Established1848 (Dunedin settlement)
1852 (Otago Province)
SeatDunedin
Territorial authorities
List
  • Waitaki District
    (40.39%)
Government
 • BodyOtago Regional Council
 • ChairGretchen Robertson
 • Deputy ChairLloyd McCall
Area
 • Region
31,251 km2 (12,066 sq mi)
 • Land31,186.16 km2 (12,041.04 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[1]
 • Region
257,200
 • Density8.2/km2 (21/sq mi)
GDP
[2]
 • TotalNZ$ 15.336 billion (2021) (6th)
 • Per capitaNZ$ 62,518 (2021)
Time zoneUTC+12:00 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13:00 (NZDT)
HDI (2021)0.932[3]
very high · 6th
Websitewww.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 257,200 in June 2024.[1]

The name "Otago" is the local

Weller Brothers in 1831, which lies close to Otakou. The upper harbour later became the focus of the Otago Association, an offshoot of the Free Church of Scotland
, notable for its adoption of the principle that ordinary people, not the landowner, should choose the ministers.

Major centres include Dunedin (the principal city),

Southland Regional Council
.

History

Main article:
History of Otago

Like the rest of mainland New Zealand, Otago was first settled by the

Free Church of Scotland, was founded in March 1848 with the arrival of the first two immigrant ships from Greenock on the Firth of Clyde — the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing. Captain William Cargill, a veteran of the Peninsular War, was the secular leader. Otago citizens subsequently elected him to the office of provincial Superintendent after the New Zealand provinces were created in 1853.[9]

The

Southland Region
.

Arrowtown, a historic mining town

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

Taieri Plains offered good farmland.[10] The 1860s saw rapid commercial expansion after Gabriel Read discovered gold at Gabriel's Gully near Lawrence, and the Otago gold rush ensued.[11]

Veterans of goldfields in California and Australia, plus many other fortune-seekers from Europe, North America and China, poured into the then Province of Otago, eroding its Scottish

Presbyterian character. Further gold discoveries at Clyde and on the Arrow River around Arrowtown led to a boom, and Otago became for a period the cultural and economic centre of New Zealand. New Zealand's first daily newspaper, the Otago Daily Times, originally edited by Julius Vogel, dates from this period.[12]

The University of Otago, New Zealand's oldest university

New Zealand's first university, the University of Otago, was founded in 1869 as the provincial university in Dunedin.[13]

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

Bruce
. From this time the national limelight gradually shifted northwards.

Otago's flag was chosen from a 2004 competition. It was designed by Gregor Macauly.[15]

Geography

Autumn 2004 in Otago
Aerial photo of Beaumont area in Otago, looking southwest. State Highway 8 runs from left to right across the photo (only visible in the right half), and crosses the Clutha River just below centre.
Mount Aspiring / Tititea is New Zealand's highest mountain outside the Aoraki / Mount Cook region.

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

glacial activity – both recent and very old – dominates the landscape, with large U-shaped valleys and rivers which have high sediment loads. River flows also vary dramatically, with large flood flows occurring after heavy rain. Lakes Wakatipu, Wānaka, and Hāwea form the sources of the Clutha / Matau-au, the largest river (by discharge) in New Zealand. The Clutha flows generally to the southeast through Otago and discharges near Balclutha. The river has been used for hydroelectric power generation, with large dams at Clyde and Roxburgh. The traditional northern boundary of the region, the Waitaki River, is also heavily utilised for hydroelectricity, though the region's current official boundaries put much of that river's catchment in Canterbury
.

Kawarau Gorge, where Roaring Meg joins the Kawarau River, in central Otago

The country's fourth-longest river, the

Taieri Plains
as it approaches the ocean.

Travelling east from the mountains, the

Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands dominated by the block mountains, upthrust schist mountains. In contrast to Canterbury, where the Northwest winds blow across the plains without interruption, in Otago the block mountains impede and dilute the effects of the Nor'wester
.

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

Maniototo Plain, which lies to the east of Central Otago, close to the upper reaches of the Taieri River. This area is sparsely populated, but of historical note for its importance during the Otago gold rush of the 1860s. The townships of Ranfurly and Naseby
lie in this area.

In the southeastern corner of Otago lies

Southland region. This itself forms part of a larger system known as the Southland Syncline, which links to similar formations in Nelson (offset by the Alpine Fault) and even in New Caledonia, 3,500 km (2,200 mi) away.[17]

The Catlins ranges are

strike ridges composed of Triassic and Jurassic sandstones, mudstones and other related sedimentary rocks, often with a high incidence of feldspar. Fossils of the late and middle Triassic Warepan and Kaihikuan
stages are found in the area.

Climate

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.[18]

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

föhn wind, which dries as it crosses the Southern Alps
. Wetter air is the result of approaching low-pressure systems which sweep fronts over the country from the southwest. A common variant in this pattern is the centring of a stationary low-pressure zone to the southeast of the country, resulting in long-lasting cool, wet conditions. These have been responsible for several notable historical floods, such as the "hundred year floods" of October 1878 and October 1978.

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

Central Otago vineyards are successful in this region. This inland region is one of the driest regions in the country, sheltered from prevailing rain-bearing weather conditions by the high mountains to the west and hills of the south. Summers can be hot, with temperatures often approaching or exceeding 30 degrees Celsius; winters, by contrast, are often bitterly cold – the township of Ranfurly in Central Otago holds the New Zealand record for lowest temperature with a reading of −25.6 °C on 18 July 1903.[19]

Population

Otago Region covers 31,186.16 km2 (12,041.04 sq mi).[20] The population is 257,200 as of June 2024,[1][1] which is approximately 4.8 percent of New Zealand's total population of 5.3 million. The population density is 8.2 people per km2. About 41.5 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.[21]

Other significant urban centres in Otago with populations over 1,000 include: Queenstown, Oamaru, Wānaka, Port Chalmers, Cromwell, Alexandra, Balclutha, Milton and Mosgiel. Between 1996 and 2006, the population of the Queenstown-Lakes District grew by 60% due to the region's booming tourism industry.[22]

Urban areas in Otago
Urban area Population
(June 2024)[1] 		% of region
Dunedin[a] 106,700 41.5%
Queenstown 27,700 10.8%
Mosgiel 15,150 5.9%
Oamaru 14,350 5.6%
Wānaka 13,600 5.3%
Cromwell 7,440 2.9%
Alexandra 6,150 2.4%
Balclutha 4,430 1.7%
Arrowtown 2,930 1.1%
Milton 2,270 0.9%
Brighton 1,580 0.6%
Waikouaiti 1,330 0.5%
Clyde 1,290 0.5%
  1. ^ Includes Port Chalmers.
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1991177,525—    
1996185,085+0.84%
2001181,542−0.39%
2006193,803+1.32%
2013202,470+0.63%
2018225,186+2.15%
2023240,900+1.36%
Source: [23][24]
Largest groups of overseas-born residents[25]
Nationality Population (2018)
England 10,710
Australia 5,160
China 2,442
United States of America 2,226
Philippines 2,157
India 2,046
Scotland 1,908
South Africa 1,755
Germany 1,134
Brazil 1,089

Otago had a population of 240,900 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 15,714 people (7.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 38,430 people (19.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 118,524 males, 121,185 females and 1,188 people of other genders in 94,425 dwellings.[26] 4.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 37,749 people (15.7%) aged under 15 years, 53,532 (22.2%) aged 15 to 29, 106,926 (44.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 42,690 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.[23]

A map showing population density in the Otago Region at the 2023 census

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.2% European (Pākehā); 9.9% Māori; 3.4% Pasifika; 8.5% Asian; 2.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori language by 1.9%, Samoan by 0.6% and other languages by 11.9%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 28.4%

Jewish, and 1.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion
were 60.3%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 40,458 (19.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 106,080 (52.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 43,974 (21.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 19,692 people (9.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 101,514 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 31,086 (15.3%) were part-time, and 4,848 (2.4%) were unemployed.[23]

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.[27] 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.[28] 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,

Catholicism is the second-largest denomination with 11.5 percent affiliating.[29]

class=notpageimage|
Locations 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.

There are five territorial authorities in Otago:

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

Te Tai Tonga electorate, which covers the entire South Island and surrounding islands, and is currently held by Te Pāti Māori Party MP Tākuta Ferris
.

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.[30] There is also the Arai Te Uru Marae in Dunedin.[31]

Economy

The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Otago was estimated at NZ$14.18 billion[32] 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%).[33]

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.[34]

Education

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

Presbyterian
Scottish settlers there are a Presbyterian girls' and boys' school in the city. Unlike other major cities in New Zealand, Dunedin does not have any private intermediate or high schools, as all remaining private intermediate and high schools have been integrated into the state system.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2022". Statistics New Zealand. 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ISBN 3-12-539683-2
  5. ^ "About the Otago region". Otago Regional Council. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010.
  6. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (2012). Otago region – The Otago settlement. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  7. ISBN 0-473-05591-0
    ), appendix 1 pp.136–139.
  8. ISSN 0142-6397
    .
  9. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – The Otago settlement". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  10. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – Wool and farming". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  11. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – Gold and development". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  12. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – Art, writing and music". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  13. ^ "History of the University of Otago". www.otago.ac.nz. University of Otago. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. ^ "New Zealand Provinces 1848–77". Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  15. ^ Green, Carla (2 September 2015). "Picks 'underwhelming', Otago flag designer says". www.odt.co.nz. Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  16. ^ a b McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – Geology and landscape". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  17. ^ Heads, Michael (1989). Integrating earth and life sciences in New Zealand natural history: the parallel arcs model, New Zealand Journal of Zoology 16, pp. 549–585.
  18. ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Otago region – Climate, plants and animals". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  19. ^ Brenstrum, Erick (2016). "Broken record". New Zealand Geographic. No. 137. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  20. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  21. ^ Mckinnon, Malcolm (17 August 2009). "Otago region: Population and employment since 1920". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  22. ^ Mckinnon, Malcolm (19 August 2009). "Otago region: Overview". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  23. ^ a b c "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Otago Region (14). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  24. ^ "2001 Census: Regional summary". archive.stats.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Birthplace (detailed), for the census usually resident population count, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (RC, TA, SA2, DHB)". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  27. ^ "QuickStats About Otago: Cultural Diversity". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 16 November 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  28. ^ Veitch, James; Tinawi, Dalia (1 March 2015). "Middle Eastern peoples – The Lebanese". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  29. ^ "2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity – data tables". Statistics New Zealand. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Note some percentages may not add to 100 percent as people could give multiple responses or object to answering.
  30. ^ "Papatipu Rūnanga". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Arai Te Uru Whare Hauora". Arai Te Uru Whare Hauora. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2020 | Stats NZ". www.stats.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2019 | Stats NZ". www.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  34. ^ "Central Otago wine success at home and abroad". 11 November 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2007.
  35. New Zealand Ministry of Education. 23 June 1998. Archived from the original
    on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2006.
  36. ^ "about NZ education". EduSearch. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  • Otago travel guide from Wikivoyage

45°52′50″S 170°29′46″E / 45.88056°S 170.49611°E / -45.88056; 170.49611

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Otago&oldid=1259598419"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Otago. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy