Population and Statistics

How Does The Western Bay Of Plenty District Compare With National Figures And Other Territorial Authorities?

The 2006 Census recorded the usually resident population of New Zealand as 4,027,947 people, reflecting an increase of 290,670 people and a growth rate of 7.8% since the 2001 Census.  This compares with a 3.3% increase between 1996 and 2001.

The Western Bay of Plenty District continues to be one of the fastest growing territorial authorities in New Zealand and demonstrated the 14th fastest growth rate since 2001, refer to Table 1.  Between 1996 and 2001, the Western Bay of Plenty District was the 8th fastest growing territorial authority.

Although Tauranga City has experienced faster growth rates than the Western Bay of Plenty District over the last 10 years, it is interesting to note that population growth in Tauranga City has slowed from 16.9% between 1996 and 2001 to 14.0% between 2001 and 2006.

Table 1.  The Top 15 Fastest Growing Territorial Authorities Between 2001 & 2006

Rodney District was the most populous district in New Zealand with 89,559 people (11th Territorial Authority overall), while the Western Bay of Plenty District ranked the 23rd largest district in size (33rd Territorial Authority overall).  Rodney District was also the district that experienced the largest actual increase in population of 13,377 people since 2001, while the Western Bay of Plenty District ranked 12th, with an increase of 3,846 people.

What’s Happening Within Our District?

The Kaimai area unit remains the most populous area unit within the District with a usually resident population of 5,223 people, while Matakana Island continues to be the least populated area unit with 225 people, refer to Table 2.

Nearly all areas in the District increased in population since the 2001 Census, with Katikati Community experiencing the fastest growth rate of 22.7% over the last 5 years.  Large population increases of more than 18% were also experienced by Athenree, Maketu Community and Pongakawa over the same period.  Katikati Community also experienced the largest numerical increase in population between 2001 and 2006 with an additional 663 people, while Minden and Kaimai area units had large increases of more than 500 additional people during this time.

Between 2001 and 2006, the population of Matakana Island, Island View/Pios Beach and Waihi Beach declined; by 22.7% (66 people), 7.9% (48 people) and 7.2% (138 people) respectively.

Please note that area unit boundaries for Omokoroa Community and Te Puna area units have changed since 2001.  In 2006, the area covered by Omokoroa Community area unit has been increased to include the whole peninsula down to the State Highway, effectively making the Te Puna area unit smaller, refer to attached area unit map.  This change was recommended to Statistics NZ to enable statistics to be provided for the whole area covered by the Omokoroa Structure Plan and will be beneficial for future analysis of this urban growth area.  It also means that Census population statistics will align with SmartGrowth population projections that already cover the whole Omokoroa peninsula.


Table 2.  2006 Census of Population and Dwellings - Usually Resident Population Count for Area Units in the Western Bay of Plenty District, 1996, 2001 and 2006

How Many Houses Are There In The Western Bay Of Plenty District?

The 2006 Census recorded 15,741 occupied dwellings in the Western Bay of Plenty District, an increase of 1,659 dwellings or 11.8% compared with the 2001 Census, refer to Table 3.  In comparison, the increase in occupied dwellings in the District between 1996 and 2001 was smaller at 1,467 occupied dwellings, demonstrating a slightly slower growth rate of 11.6%.

With the District’s usually resident population recorded at 42,075 people, this equates to an occupancy rate of 2.67 persons per occupied dwelling across the District on census night.

The number of occupied dwellings has increased in most areas of the District since 2001, with Katikati Community experiencing the largest increase of 22.2%.  Katikati Community, Minden and Kaimai area units all showed an increase of more than 200 occupied dwellings since the 2001 Census.

Matakana Island and Island View / Pios Beach both experienced a decline in the number of occupied dwellings over the last 5 years, down by 6.7% (6 dwellings) and 1.2% (3 dwellings) respectively.  Te Puke West demonstrated no change in occupied dwelling numbers between 2001 and 2006.

Table 3.   2006 Census of Population and Dwellings – Occupied Dwelling Count for Area Units in the Western Bay of Plenty District, 1996, 2001 and 2006