Wellington (region), New Zealand

The Wellington region is located on the southern end of the North Island in New Zealand. It is bordered by the Manawatu-Wanganui region to the north and Cook Strait to the south. The Tasman Sea lies to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. With a total land area of 2,123 square kilometres, it is one of the smaller regions of New Zealand, but it is the third-most populous region of the country. The region encompasses the Wellington Regional Council with the exception of Wairarapa.

The majority of the population lives in Wellington, the nation's capital. Other major cities are Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. In addition to being the government seat, the region is known for its cosmopolitan harbour cities and scenic country areas. The Hutt Valley is a centre for outdoor recreational activities while the Kapiti Coast offers stunning views of the rugged coast. Offshore islands include Mana, Matiu/Somes and Kapiti. The Kapiti Island Nature Reserve is a renowned bird sanctuary and predator-free reserve with many rare and protected animal, bird and plant species.

Historical Perspective

The first known person to arrive in the Wellington region was the Polynesian explorer Kupe, who came to the region in 950 CE. Early Māori residents of the area included the Ngāi Tara, Rangitāne and Ngāti Mamoe. Following wars in the 1820s, several Taranaki tribes moved to the Wellington region. The British navigator James Cook sighted the region when he sailed past the Cook Strait in 1770. During his next voyage, he anchored in Port Nicholson (now Wellington Harbour) in 1773, but never came ashore.

By the 1820s, European whalers and traders had established a flourishing whaling trade on Mana and Kapati islands. They were followed by settlers who farmed on the islands in the Cook Strait. In September 1839, William Wakefield of the New Zealand Company purchased a large tract of land around Port Nicholson from the Te Ātiawa chiefs Te Puni and Te Wharepōuri. The terms of the Port Nicholson purchase later were disputed by chiefs who had not been involved in the land negotiations and relations became strained between Māoris and British settlers who arrived aboard the New Zealand Company's ships, beginning in January 1840. By 1843, the European settler population had grown to four thousand. Māoris resisted the European settlers and war broke out between government troops and Ngāti Toa in the Hutt Valley area in 1846. After the government troops suppressed the resistance, Ngāti Toa departed the Hutt Valley. European settlement in the Hutt Valley flourished and it became a major agricultural centre. During the 1850s, the city of Wellington developed into a major financial centre. In 1865 Wellington was named the capital of New Zealand.

Geography and Climate

The Wellington region has an oceanic climate. It is generally warm and temperate. Rainfall is high year-round, with an average of about 1,100 millimetres of precipitation a year. Some areas, such as the Upper Hutt, receive an average annual rainfall of about 1,400 millimetres. The region is very windy, with strong winds from the Cook Strait along the southern coast. The average annual temperature is about 13 degrees Celsius. Summer temperatures typically range between 19 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius, while winter temperatures are between 6 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius.

The Wellington region is the most earthquake-prone region in New Zealand. Located at the meeting point of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, it lies above several active faults, including the Wellington, Ohariu, Wairarapa, Carterton and Masterton faults. Seismic activity formed the region's topography. The Upper and Lower Hutt basins were formed by movement along the Wellington Fault. Flooding of the Lower Hutt basin formed Wellington Harbour. Uplifting of sandstone underneath the sea formed the region's mountain ranges. Most of the region is rugged, with little flat land. The Tararua Range and Eastern ranges stretch across the region, while the Hunt Valley is located in the interior. The Kapiti coastal plain is found along the north-west coast.

Economy

A diverse range of industries contribute to the Wellington region's economy. In the city of Wellington, nearly 40 per cent of residents work in a professional field and 16.6 per cent are managers. As of 2023, about 72 per cent of the region's industries are in the services while goods-producing industries comprise 12.4 per cent. Other key knowledge-based services are financial and insurance services and information, media and telecommunications.

Manufacturing and agriculture are concentrated outside of the region's namesake city. Hutt Valley is a specialty manufacturing and distribution centre. The Wairarapa district is a centre for sheep and dairy farming, with a growing focus on viticulture (growing grapes for winemaking). Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming are also present in other rural districts. The construction, education and health sectors are found in Porirua and Kapiti Coast. The region's scenic areas and outdoor activities also attract many visitors and tourism is playing an increasing role in the economy.

As of 2024, the region had the highest mean household income in New Zealand, with an average household income of $165,914, which was higher than the national average household income of $132,458. The city has the nation's highest number of people employed in high-skilled occupations, while the region has the highest proportion of working-age people and above-average employment rates.

Demographics

The resident population of the Wellington region was 520,971 according to the 2023 Census. At the time of the Census, 88,770 Māoris usually lived in the Wellington region. In that census, 72.6 per cent of Wellington's residents reported affiliation with a European ethnic group; 15.5 per cent identified as Māori; 15.2 per cent as Asian; and 9.1 per cent as Pacific peoples. (Respondents could belong to more than one group). In 2018, about 33.7 per cent of the population was born overseas, with England being the most common place of birth. About 96 per cent of the population spoke only one language, English, while te reo Māori was spoken by 2.2 per cent of the population.

The Wellington region had a slightly younger population than New Zealand as a whole, with the region's median age at 37.9 years compared to the national median age of 38.1 years. It also had a high proportion of the population with formal qualifications, with slightly more than 23 per cent of the population possessing a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 14.6 per cent for New Zealand as a whole.

Bibliography

"Census: Wellington Region's Population Is Now 520,971--Up 2.8% in Five Years." Wellington.Scoop, 29 May 2024, wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=161021. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Chappell, P. R. The Climate and Weather of Wellington. 2nd ed., report no. 65. NIWA, 2014.

"Kapiti Island Nature Reserve." Department of Conservation, New Zealand Government, www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/wellington-kapiti/places/kapiti-island-nature-reserve. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Maclean, Chris. "Wellington Places." Te Ara—The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1 Mar. 2016, www.teara.govt.nz/en/wellington-places. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Maclean, Chris. "Wellington Region." Te Ara—The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 3 Aug. 2015, www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/wellington-region. Web. 18 June 2024.

"Wellington." New Zealand Now, 9 Jan. 2017, www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/regions-nz/wellington. Accessed 18 June 2024.

"Wellington Regional Information." New Zealand Tourism Guide, www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/regions/wellington/regional-information.html. Accessed 18 June 2024.