Kapiti Coast District

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Kapiti Coast District
Territorial authority
Looking across Waikanae Beach to Kapiti Island
Country	New Zealand
Region	Wellington
District	Kāpiti Coast District Council
Wards	Ōtaki Waikanae Paraparaumu Paekākāriki-Raumati
Seat	Paraparaumu
Government
• Mayor	K (Guru) Gurunathan[1]
• Deputy Mayor	Janet Holborow[2]
Area
• Total	731.25 km2 (282.34 sq mi)
Population  (June 2021)[3]
• Total	58,000
• Density	79/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	5032, 5034, 5036, 5381, 5391, 5512, 5573, 5581, 5582, 5583 [4]
Website	Kāpiti Coast District Council

The Kapiti Coast District is a local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, 50 km north of Wellington City. The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island 5 km offshore.

The population of the district is concentrated in the chain of coastal settlements along State Highway One: Ōtaki, Te Horo, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati Beach, Raumati South, and Paekākāriki. Paraparaumu is the most populous of these towns and the commercial and administrative centre. Much of the rural land is given over to horticulture; market gardens are common along the highway between the settlements. The area available for agriculture and settlement is narrow and coastal. Much of the eastern part of the district is within the Tararua Forest Park, which covers the rugged Tararua Range, with peaks rising to over 1500 m.

Geography[]

The Kapiti Coast District stretches from Ōtaki in the north through to Paekākāriki in the south. In between it includes the towns of Te Horo, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati Beach, Raumati South, and smaller localities such as Emerald Glen, Lindale, Maungakōtukutuku, Otaihanga, and Peka Peka.^[5]

The district is not generally considered part of the Wellington metropolitan area, being distant from Wellington City, Porirua and the Hutt Valley, which make up the nucleus of the area. Still, Waikanae is considered by many to be the absolute northernmost point Wellington can be considered to reach as a city. Many residents travel into Wellington each day for work, and the whole Kapiti Coast is a popular weekend destination for the people of the Wellington Region. The town of Paraparaumu, considered the pivot of the district, is located about 55 km north of Wellington.

Administration[]

Most of the district was originally part of the now defunct Hutt County. The Kapiti Borough Council was carved from it in 1973.

In New Zealand's local government reforms of 1989, the borough council was replaced by the Kapiti Coast District Council, and the area under its jurisdiction expanded northwards to include Waikanae and Ōtaki, which had been part of the Horowhenua County. The council, now styled Kāpiti Coast District Council,^[6] is a territorial authority elected by residents every three years. It consists of a mayor and 10 councillors.^[7] Two councillors are elected for the Paraparaumu ward, one each for the Ōtaki, Paekākāriki-Raumati and Waikanae wards, and five are elected at-large.^[2] Kapiti Island is part of the Paraparaumu ward.^[8] Residents also elect one of four community boards for their local area. Community boards are primarily advocates for their local area and they also administer community grant funding.^[9]

Although "Kapiti Coast District" is the official name of the district,^[10] the council uses the Maori-language spelling "Kāpiti" for its name, despite this spelling being unrelated to the original Māori name for the island.^[11]

Greater Wellington Regional Council is responsible for regional governance of the district and the wider region, including public transport, water and environmental management.

Demographics[]

Kapiti Coast District had a population of 58,000 in June 2021.^[3]

Many of the residents work in Wellington, with commuters to the four cities of the Wellington metropolitan area making up 36% of the workforce of the Kapiti Urban Area (Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Paekākāriki) and 12% of the workforce of Ōtaki.^[13]

The population of the district has grown rapidly since the 1980s, fueled in large part by Wellingtonians moving there to retire. More Kapiti Coasters are over the retirement age than in any other district or city in the country – 23.3% of the district's population is over 65; compared with 9.4% in the four cities of the Wellington Region, and 12.1% of New Zealand as a whole.^[13]

2018 census[]

The population was 53,673 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 4,569 people (9.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 7,476 people (16.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 21,753 households. There were 25,314 males and 28,359 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female. The median age was 47.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 9,285 people (17.3%) aged under 15 years, 7,386 (13.8%) aged 15 to 29, 22,935 (42.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 14,067 (26.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 87.7% European/Pākehā, 14.7% Māori, 3.0% Pacific peoples, 4.6% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 22.6%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 52.9% had no religion, 35.8% were Christian, 0.5% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 10,188 (23.0%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 7,167 (16.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 18,792 (42.3%) people were employed full-time, 6,435 (14.5%) were part-time, and 1,596 (3.6%) were unemployed.^[12]

Attractions[]

Apart from Kapiti Island, one of the most visible features of the Kapiti Coast is Queen Elizabeth Park. Lying to the south of Raumati, it is a popular attraction that covers some 12 km². It extends to Paekākāriki, and includes the Wellington Tramway Museum.

Other tourist attractions include the Southward Car Museum, a few kilometres north of the Paraparaumu town centre in Otaihanga, and the Paraparaumu Golf Course.

Transport[]

State Highway One connects the Kapiti Coast to Wellington. The road is a narrow, coastal highway that is highly congested and has been subject to occasional closure due to landslides. The Transmission Gully Motorway has long been mooted both as a commuter route and an alternative access to the capital in case of a civil defence emergency. Construction of the route officially began on 8 September 2014.

The district is on the North Island Main Trunk railway line (NIMT). It is served as far north as Waikanae by suburban passenger trains operating on one of Wellington's two main commuter rail links, the Kapiti Line, which terminates in Waikanae. There are also commuter bus services.

The small Kapiti Coast Airport is sandwiched between Paraparaumu (to the north) and Raumati (to the south). With three runways (one of which is now closed), it once served as the main airport of the Wellington region, but was until recently used mainly by aeroclubs. In 2011 scheduled commercial flights from Kapiti to Auckland resumed. It also has daily scheduled flights across Cook Strait to Nelson and Blenheim.

Populated places[]

Kapiti Coast District consists of the following towns, localities, settlements and communities:

References[]

External links[]

• Kāpiti Coast District Council

Coordinates: 40°50′38″S 175°11′10″E / 40.844°S 175.186°E / -40.844; 175.186