Grasmere is a suburb in the New Zealand city of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

. The area is low-lying and at risk from flooding and

sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

. In 1984, Waihopai River burst its banks, causing flooding in Grasmere and other suburbs. Homes and properties were damaged, and some people became homeless or lost their jobs. Flood banks were installed to prevent further floods. Between 2017 and 2018, Grasmere was the only suburb in Invercargill where the median house price declined.

Demographics

Prestonville-Grasmere statistical area, which also includes Prestonville, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Before the 2023 census, Prestonville-Grasmere had a larger boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Prestonville-Grasmere had a population of 3,720 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 207 people (5.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 267 people (7.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,413 households, comprising 1,791 males and 1,929 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female. The median age was 36.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 792 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 690 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,530 (41.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 711 (19.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.2% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 15.2%

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 2.1% Pasifika, 3.7% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.4% had no religion, 33.5% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 0.3% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 0.1% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.2% were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.2% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 1.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 330 (11.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 855 (29.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 336 people (11.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,512 (51.6%) people were employed full-time, 408 (13.9%) were part-time, and 96 (3.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Donovan Primary School is a state contributing primary school for years 1 to 6 with a roll of as of The school was established in 2005 through the merger of Grasmere Primary School, Waikiwi School and West Plains School, on the site of the former Collingwood Intermediate School. Grasmere School, a co-educational state primary school, operated from to 2005. and closed in 2009. The school site was sold to private owners in 2007,

Invercargill City Council The Invercargill City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Invercargill, New Zealand. The council is made up of an elected mayor and 12 councillors elected at-large. They are elected using First-past-the-post voting in triennial ...

gave planning approval for the site to be subdivided in 2008, and the site was auctioned off in two parts in 2009. Collingwood Intermediate School, a year 7 and 8 state intermediate school, operated in Grasmere between 1976 and 2004. It opened with 120 Form 1 students. The school was affected by the major flood in 1984, which also reduced its roll.

References

{{Invercargill Suburbs of Invercargill