Wakatipu Basin

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Wakatipu Basin
Basin
View from Crown Range looking over the Wakatipu Basin
Coordinates: 44°57′40″S 168°47′53″E / 44.961°S 168.798°E / -44.961; 168.798
Location	Queenstown-Lakes District

The Wakatipu Basin is a plain surrounded by mountains in

At the south west corner is found the Queenstown suburb of

.

The economy of the basin and surrounding areas is largely supported by tourism, though the importance of the vineyards of the Gibbston Valley and Central Otago wine regions has increased since the 1990s.

Wakatipu Basin statistical area, which includes Millbrook Resort, covers 57.72 km² (22.29 sq mi)^[2] and had an estimated population of 1,310 as of June 2024,^[3] with a population density of 23 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	1,020	—
2013	1,158	+1.83%
2018	1,356	+3.21%
Source: [4]

Before the 2023 census, Wakatipu Basin had a larger boundary, covering 59.51 km² (22.98 sq mi).

. There were 483 households, comprising 702 males and 654 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 45.7 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 258 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 192 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 690 (50.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 216 (15.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 92.7% European/Pākehā, 3.5% Māori, 0.2% Pasifika, 2.9% Asian, and 4.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 26.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.1% had no religion, 33.4% were Christian, 0.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.2% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 381 (34.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 81 (7.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $52,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 402 people (36.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 594 (54.1%) people were employed full-time, 186 (16.9%) were part-time, and 9 (0.8%) were unemployed.^[4]