Buller District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buller District
Territorial authority district
View of Westport, the district's capital
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast Region
Wards	Seddon Westport Inangahua
Seat	Westport
Area
• Total	7,943.35 km2 (3,066.94 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)
• Total	9,670
• Density	1.2174/km2 (3.1530/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	Map of postcodes
Area code(s)	03

The Buller District is a special area in New Zealand, located within the West Coast Region. It is one of 53 districts that make up the country. This district includes towns like Westport, Karamea, Reefton, and Inangahua Junction.

The Buller District covers a large land area of about 7,943 square kilometers. The main office for the district is in Westport. About 45% of all the people living in the district call Westport home. The local government that manages the area is called the Buller District Council.

History of Buller District

Early Māori Settlement

People have lived in the Buller District for a very long time. Scientists have found old cooking ovens, called Umu, that show Māori people settled here around 700 years ago. This means they were the first people to live in this beautiful region.

Naming the District

The district gets its name from the Buller River, which flows through the area. The river itself was named after Charles Buller. He was a Member of Parliament in the UK. Charles Buller was also a director of the New Zealand Company. This company was set up in the early 1800s to help with the settlement of New Zealand.

Changes in Local Government

From 1853 to 1876, the area that is now Buller District was part of a larger region called Nelson Province. Provinces were like big states or regions in New Zealand at that time.

In 1876, a law was passed to get rid of these provinces. After that, the Buller District area was divided into two new local government areas. These were called Buller County and Inangahua County. They started in January 1877.

Later, in 1989, there were big changes to how local governments worked in New Zealand. The Buller District was officially created then. It was formed by joining together Buller County, Inangahua County, and the Westport Borough Councils. This made one single district.

Population of Buller

How Many People Live Here?

The Buller District is quite large, covering about 7,943 square kilometers. As of 2018, the estimated population was around 9,591 people. This means there are about 1.2 people living in each square kilometer.

The latest count from the 2023 New Zealand census showed that 10,446 people live in the Buller District. This was an increase of 855 people since the 2018 census. However, it was a small decrease of 27 people since the 2013 census.

Homes and Age Groups

In 2023, there were 6,249 homes in the district. The average age of people living here was 52.0 years. This is a bit older than the national average of 38.1 years.

Here's a look at the different age groups:

• 1,539 people (14.7%) were under 15 years old.
• 1,197 people (11.5%) were between 15 and 29 years old.
• 4,959 people (47.5%) were between 30 and 64 years old.
• 2,754 people (26.4%) were 65 years or older.

Different Backgrounds

People in the Buller District come from many different backgrounds. In the 2023 census, the main ethnic groups were:

• 90.6% European or Pākehā
• 13.0% Māori
• 1.7% Pasifika
• 3.3% Asian
• 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African New Zealanders
• 2.2% other ethnicities

It's important to know that people can identify with more than one ethnicity. About 10.7% of the people in Buller District were born outside New Zealand. This is lower than the national average of 27.1%.

Beliefs and Work

When asked about their religious beliefs, many people chose not to answer. However, of those who did:

• 57.0% said they had no religion.
• 31.1% were Christian.
• Some also followed Māori religious beliefs, Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism.

For people aged 15 and older:

• About 9.4% had a university degree or higher.
• About 30.0% did not have any formal qualifications.
• The average income was $22,900 per year. This is less than the national average of $31,800.
• About 40.4% of people worked full-time.
• 16.0% worked part-time.
• 3.7% were unemployed.

See also

In Spanish: Distrito de Buller para niños