Southland Region
Southland
Murihiku (Māori) | |
---|---|
Southland Region | |
Country | New Zealand |
Island | South Island |
Established | 1861 (provincial) 1989 (reformation) |
Seat | Invercargill |
Territorial authorities | |
Government | |
• Chair | Nicol Horrell |
• Deputy Chair | Lloyd McCallum |
Area UTC+13 (NZDT) | |
HDI (2017) | 0.906[4] very high · 10th |
Website | https://www.es.govt.nz/ |
Southland (
The earliest inhabitants of
Politically, Murihiku proper extends from
History
The earliest inhabitants of
In later years, the coastline was a scene of early extended contact between Māori and Europeans, in this case sealers, whalers and missionaries such as Wohlers at Ruapuke Island.[10] Contact was established as early as 1813.[11] By the 1830s, Kāi Tahu had built a thriving industry supplying whaling vessels, looked after whalers and settlers in need, and had begun to integrate with the settlers.[7] Throughout the nineteenth century local Māori continued such regular travel from trade that a "Māori house" had to be built in 1881 to accommodate them when they travelled from Ruapuke and Stewart Island to Bluff to sell produce.[11]
On 10 June 1840, Tūhawaiki, a paramount chief of Kāi Tahu, signed the Treaty of Waitangi aboard HMS Herald at Ruapuke.[12] Aware that this treaty did not guarantee him sovereignty over his land he had previously asserted that he would sign it if those bringing it to him would sign one he had prepared himself.[13]
In 1853, Walter Mantell purchased Murihiku from local Māori iwi, claiming the land for European settlement.[14] Part of the agreement was that schools and hospitals would be provided alongside each Kāi Tahu village; this promise was not fulfilled. The boundaries of the land sold were also not made sufficiently clear, with Kāi Tahu always maintaining that Fiordland was not intended to be included in this purchase.[15]
Over successive decades, present-day Southland and Otago were settled by large numbers of
]In 1852,
However, rising debt forced Southland to rejoin Otago in 1870, and the province was abolished entirely when the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on 1 November 1876.[18]
In the 1880s, the development of an export industry based on butter and cheese encouraged the growth of dairy farming in Southland. Consequently, the colony's first dairy factory was established at Edendale in 1882. Much of this export went to the United Kingdom.[19]
Now, Edendale is the site of the world's largest raw milk-processing plant,[20] and Southland's economy is based on agriculture, tourism, fishing, forestry, coal, and hydropower.[5]
Southland Region and the
Structure
Representation
Southland is divided into two
Local government
Regional responsibilities are handled by the
National parks
The region is home to two national parks: Fiordland National Park and Rakiura National Park. The former which covers 7,860 square kilometres; making it New Zealand's largest national park. Southland also includes Stewart Island, 85% of which is covered by Rakiura National Park. Both parks are administrated by the Department of Conservation.
Geography
Politically, Southland proper extends from Fiordland in the west past the Mataura River to the Catlins the east. To the north, Southland is framed by the Darran and Eyre Mountains. Farther south lies Stewart Island which is separated from the mainland by the Foveaux Strait.
Southland contains New Zealand's highest waterfall—the Browne Falls. Lake Hauroko is the deepest lake in the country. The highest peak in Southland is Mount Tūtoko, which is part of the Darran mountains. The largest lake in Southland is Lake Te Anau followed by Lake Manapouri which both lie within the boundaries of Fiordland National Park. Established on 20 February 1905, it is the largest national park in New Zealand—covering much of Fiordland which is devoid of human settlement.[24]
Fiordland's terrain is dominated by mountains,
Farther east of the
In the far southeast of Southland rises the rough hill country of The Catlins. This area is divided between Southland and the neighbouring Otago region, with the largest settlement, Owaka, being within Otago. The hills of The Catlins form part of a major geological fold system, the Southland Syncline, which extends from the coast northwestward, and include the Hokonui Hills above Gore.
Off the coast of Southland lies the Great South Basin which stretches over 500,000 km2 (covering an area 1.5 times New Zealand's land mass). It is one of the country's largest undeveloped offshore petroleum basins with prospects for both oil and gas.
Climate
Weather conditions in Southland are cooler than the other regions of New Zealand due to its distance from the
The coastal regions have mild summers and cool winters. The mean daily temperature varies from 5.2 °C in July to 14.9 °C in January. Rainfall varies from 900 mm to 1300 mm annually with rainfall being more frequent in coastal areas and rainbows being a regular occurrence in the region. Summers are temperable with downpours and cold snaps not being uncommon. On 7 January 2010, Invercargill was hit by a hail storm with temperatures plummeting rapidly from 15 °C to 8 °C in the afternoon.[25] Occasionally, temperatures exceed 25 °C with an extreme temperature of 33.8 °C having been reached before in Invercargill in 1948[26] and 35.0 °C in Winton in 2018.[27]
Winters are colder and more severe than other regions, although not by much. The mean maximum temperature in July is 9.5 °C and Southland's lowest recorded temperature was −18 °C in July 1946.[28] Snow and frost also frequently occur in inland areas but are less common and extreme in coastal areas where the oceans act as a moderating factor. The long-lasting cool and wet conditions are influenced by the presence of a stationary low-pressure zone to the southeast of the country.
Fiordland has a wet mountain climate though conditions vary due to altitude and exposure. Rainfall is the highest in the country and varies between 6,500 and 7,500 mm annually. The farthest coastal reaches of Fiordland are characterized by a limited temperature range with increasing rainfall at higher altitudes. The moist wet climate is influenced by approaching low-pressure systems which sweep across the country entering Fiordland.[24]
Demographics
Southland Region covers 31,218.27 km2 (12,053.44 sq mi). Southland Region had a population of 97,467 at the Ethnicities were 86.5% European/Pākehā, 14.9% Māori, 2.6% Pacific peoples, 5.5% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 12.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 50.7% had no religion, 38.5% were Christian, 0.6% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 2.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 11,004 (14.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 19,770 (25.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 10,920 people (14.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 40,965 (52.5%) people were employed full-time, 12,153 (15.6%) were part-time, and 2,427 (3.1%) were unemployed.[30]
A relatively high proportion of nineteenth century migrants came from Scotland and Ireland.[6] Māori are largely concentrated around the port of Bluff.[31] During the 1940s, the development of the freezing works boosted a short-term immigration to the region by North Island Māori.[32]
In the 21st century the Asian-origin population of Southland increased owing to the recruitment of dairy workers, many of them from the Philippines. In 2013 the population of Asian origin accounted for 3.2% of the Southland total.[33][34]
The West Coast aside, Southland has New Zealand's strongest regional identity. It is the only part of New Zealand which has a distinct regional accent (shared with most rural parts of Otago), characterized in particular by a rolling 'r'.[35] Food-wise, cheese rolls are a Southland specialty [36] and swedes are a popular vegetable, prepared and eaten as are pumpkin and kumara (sweet potato) elsewhere in New Zealand.[37] For many years a television channel, known as Southland TV from 2003–07, later Cue TV, transmitted Southland content. The strength of Southland identity may owe something to the relatively high proportion of New Zealand-born in the region – 85% compared with 70% for New Zealand as a whole at the 2013 census.[38]
With a population of 51,000 The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Southland was estimated at NZ$6.36 billion in the year to March 2019, 2.1% of New Zealand's national GDP. The subnational GDP per capita was estimated at $63,084 in the same period. In the year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $1.35 billion (22.4%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $1.52 billion (25.2%), service industries contributed $2.63 billion (43.7%), and taxes and duties contributed $516 million (8.6%).[39]
The region's economy is based on agriculture, tourism, fishing, forestry and energy resources like coal and hydropower.[5]
The agriculture industry includes both Other sizeable industries in Southland include coal and hydroelectric power.[5] Eastern Southland has significant deposits of lignite which are considered to be New Zealand's biggest fossil fuel energy resource.[42] Solid Energy operated open cast lignite mines at Newvale and Ohai until its 2015 bankruptcy.
Southland hosts the nation's largest Tourism spending is a major factor of the Southland economy, with NZ$595 million being spent by visitors in 2016, of which NZ$210 million was spent in the Fiordland area.[43] In July 2007 the New Zealand Government awarded oil and gas exploration permits for four areas of the Great South Basin. The three successful permit holders were ExxonMobil New Zealand, OMV and Greymouth Petroleum.
[44]
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1991 99,954 — 1996 97,098 −0.58% 2001 91,002 −1.29% 2006 90,876 −0.03% 2013 93,342 +0.38% 2018 97,467 +0.87% Source: Statistics NZ[29][30] Cities and towns
Name
Population
(June 2023)[2]
% of region
Invercargill
51,000
49.1%
Gore
8,240
7.9%
Te Anau
3,060
2.9%
Winton
2,460
2.4%
Bluff
1,840
1.8%
Mataura
1,740
1.7%
1,640
1.6%
Otautau
770
0.7%
Wallacetown
750
0.7%
Edendale
610
0.6%
Economy
See also
References
External links