Rolleston, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rolleston
Roretana, Tauwharekākaho (Māori)
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Town
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Rolleston from the air looking north-east to Christchurch
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Island | South Island |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Territorial authority | Selwyn District |
| Ward | Rolleston |
| Electorates |
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| Area | |
| • Total | 23.71 km2 (9.15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population
(June 2023)
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| • Total | 29,600 |
| • Density | 1,248.4/km2 (3,233/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode(s) |
7614, 7615
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| Local iwi | Ngāi Tahu |
Rolleston is the biggest town in the Selwyn District of New Zealand. It's located in the Canterbury region on the South Island. The town is on the Canterbury Plains, about 22 kilometers southwest of Christchurch. It's part of the larger Christchurch city area.
Rolleston is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing towns. In 2001, about 2,800 people lived there. By 2023, this number grew to around 28,000! It is now New Zealand's 23rd-largest urban area. It is also the second-largest town in Canterbury, after Christchurch.
Contents
A Look Back at Rolleston's History
Rolleston started as a railway stop in 1866. It was named after William Rolleston, an important person in Canterbury's history. William Rolleston was born in Yorkshire in 1831. He was the leader of the Province of Canterbury from 1868 to 1876. He also worked as a Member of Parliament.
In the 1970s, Prime Minister Norman Kirk had a big idea. He wanted to turn Rolleston, which had fewer than 1,000 people, into a city of 80,000.
In 2000, the Selwyn District Council suggested building a business area called Izone. They bought land for it the next year. Big companies like The Warehouse Group built their South Island distribution center there.
The Selwyn District Council also built the Toka Hāpai Selwyn Health Hub in 2021. This health center offers different services. It has a birthing unit, X-ray services, and a physiotherapist. It might also have a general doctor's office.
In 2020, the council thought about allowing 4,500 more houses to be built. The Christchurch City Council was worried about how this would affect traffic in Christchurch.
In 2021, plans were made for a new shopping center called Rolleston Fields. This $85 million center will be built on Tennyson Street. It will be part of a new town center. The plans include cinemas and a covered farmers market. The council also wants to build a pedestrian square. This will create a clear "heart" for the town.
How Earthquakes Affected Rolleston
Rolleston was very close to where the 2010 Canterbury earthquake happened. The ground moved twice as much here as in Christchurch City. After the quake, many homes lost power for days. People had to boil their water for weeks. Rolleston was also near many aftershocks.
Rolleston did not get much damage from the earthquakes. This is because the ground underneath has stable rocks and stones. The town was not affected by liquefaction, which is when the ground turns to liquid. Only a few houses were too damaged to live in.
The 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused only a little more damage. This mostly affected buildings that were already damaged.
Rolleston's population has grown quickly since the earthquakes. This is because the land is stable. Also, the Selwyn District Council made it faster to get building permits.
Fun Places and Services
Rolleston has many great places for people to use.
The Selwyn Aquatic Centre has five swimming pools. One of them is a 25-meter pool with ten lanes.
Foster Park, Brookside Park, and Rolleston Reserve are sports fields. You can play many sports there, like cricket, softball, hockey, football, rugby, and tennis. Foster Park also has a special area where dogs can run without a leash.
The Rolleston public library, called Te Ara Ātea, opened in December 2021. This large building cost $22.2 million. It is expected to be a main part of Rolleston's town center. Before this, the library shared space with the Rolleston Community Centre.
The Selwyn Sports Centre opened in May 2021. It is the biggest sports center in Canterbury. It has eight indoor courts and an indoor walking track.
Rolleston is also planning to build The Station. This will be the biggest shopping area in the South Island.
Rolleston's Weather
The area around Rolleston used to have many radiata pine tree farms. Now, much of that land is used for dairy farming. Farmers need more water for their cows. Many tree lines that protected the land from the strong nor'west wind have been removed. This is because they got in the way of large irrigation systems.
Rolleston is very open on the Canterbury Plains. This means it is a bit drier than Christchurch. It has a more continental climate. There are also many vineyards in the area.
January is the warmest month, with an average high temperature of 23°C. July is the coldest month, with an average high temperature of 10°C. The amount of rain changes each month. January gets about 33mm of rain, and July gets about 56mm. On January 26, 2021, the temperature reached a high of 39.2°C.
Who Lives in Rolleston?
Statistics New Zealand says Rolleston is a medium-sized urban area. It covers about 23.71 square kilometers. As of 2018, it had an estimated population of 29,600. This means there are about 1248 people per square kilometer.
| Historical population | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1996 | 1,520 | — |
| 2001 | 2,760 | +12.67% |
| 2006 | 5,022 | +12.72% |
| 2013 | 9,606 | +9.71% |
| 2018 | 17,532 | +12.79% |
| 2023 | 29,600 | +11.04% |
Before 1990, Rolleston had fewer than 1,000 people. Most streets were not even paved. The town started to grow a lot in the 1990s.
In the 2018 New Zealand census, Rolleston had 17,532 people. This was a big increase from 2013. There were 5,622 homes. There were slightly more females than males. About 25.9% of the people were under 15 years old.
Most people in Rolleston are European/Pākehā (86.1%). Other groups include Māori (9.4%), Asian (8.9%), and Pasifika (2.5%). About 23% of people were born outside New Zealand.
When asked about religion, 58.1% said they had no religion. 32.2% were Christian. Smaller numbers followed Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism.
Many adults in Rolleston have a university degree (20.9%). About 64.2% of adults work full-time.
Schools in Rolleston
Rolleston has six primary schools for students in years 1 to 8:
- Clearview Primary School opened in 2010. It has about 778 students.
- Lemonwood Grove School opened in 2017. It has about 876 students.
- Rolleston School is an older school, opened in 1893. It has about 710 students.
- Rolleston Christian School is a Christian school. It opened in 2015 and has about 243 students.
- Te Rōhutu Whio School opened in 2022. It has about 255 students.
- West Rolleston Primary School opened in 2016. It has about 742 students.
Waitaha School is a special school for students with special needs. It has about 134 students.
Rolleston College is the only high school in Rolleston. It has about 1,783 students. It opened in 2017, starting with only Year 9 students. By 2021, it had students from Year 9 to Year 13. Before Rolleston College opened, students went to Lincoln High School.
All these schools teach both boys and girls.
Getting Around Rolleston
Bus Travel
Rolleston has three local bus routes. These are part of Environment Canterbury's Metro system.
- Route 5 connects Rolleston to central Christchurch, Linwood, and New Brighton.
- Route 820 goes between Burnham and Lincoln, stopping in Rolleston.
- Route 85 is a fast bus that connects Rolleston to central Christchurch and Ara Institute.
Train Travel
Rolleston is where two railway lines meet: the Midland line and the Main South Line. From the 1880s to the late 1980s, Rolleston was a very important train hub. Now, only the tourist train, TranzAlpine, stops there.
In 1993, a bad accident happened at a railway crossing in Rolleston. A truck hit a passenger train, and three people on the train died.
There have been talks about bringing back a train service for people to travel between Rolleston and Christchurch. This would help people get to work or school. This idea is still being looked at in 2022.
Road Travel
State Highway 1 goes through Rolleston. This road connects Christchurch and Timaru. In 2020, the Christchurch Southern Motorway was extended. This new road makes it much faster to drive from Rolleston to Christchurch.
There are plans to build a new bridge over State Highway 1. This bridge will connect homes in Rolleston to the business area (Izone). It is expected to be finished by late 2027.
Cycling Routes
Rolleston has several good routes for cycling. More are being built.
- The South Express route goes from Hagley Park in Christchurch to Templeton. From there, a shared path leads to Rolleston.
- You can also cycle between Rolleston and Lincoln on a sealed shared path.
Air Travel
The closest big airport is Christchurch Airport. It is about 21 kilometers northeast of Rolleston. Rolleston is under the flight path for one of the airport's runways. This means there are some limits on building in parts of eastern Rolleston due to aircraft noise.
Other Important Places
Prison
Rolleston Prison is just west of the town. It holds up to 260 male prisoners.
Military Base
Burnham Military Camp is about 3 kilometers west of Rolleston. This military base was very important during the Christchurch Earthquakes. It helped the NZDF (New Zealand Defence Force) and other military groups.
