Grove Bush is a village in the

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

region of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It is located on the banks of the

Makarewa River The Makarewa River is the largest tributary of the Ōreti River, and is in Southland, New Zealand. It flows for from its source in the Hokonui Hills, joining the Ōreti just north of Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the sout ...

on the

Southland Plains The Southland Plains is a general name given to several areas of low-lying land in the South Island of New Zealand, separated by the rise of the Hokonui Hills in the north. It forms a sizeable area of Southland region and encompasses its two prin ...

near the foothills of the

Hokonui Hills The Hokonui Hills, also known as ''The Hokonui Mountains'' or simply ''The Hokonui'', are a range of hills in central Southland, New Zealand. They rise to 600 metres above the surrounding Southland Plains, of which the hills mark a northern extre ...

. The village's main feature is its community hall. It is situated in a rural area of fertile farmland; the nearest city,

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, is approximately 20 km southwest. Other small townships are nearby:

Mabel Bush Mabel Bush is a small community in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. The community has an estimated population of 127 people. The main building in the area is the Mabel Bush Hall, which consists of the hall and tennis courts. ...

is just to the east, while

Springhills Springhills is a locality in the central Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. Situated in a gap between Forest Hill and the Hokonui Hills, it is located on 29 kilometres west of near Mataura and 15 kilometres east of at Winton. ...

and Hedgehope are to the north and

Rakahouka Rakahouka is a community in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located in a fertile farming area on the Southland Plains just south of the Makarewa River. The nearest major city, Invercargill, is approximately 15 km ...

is to the south.

Demographics

Grove Bush statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Grove Bush had a population of 1,158 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 93 people (8.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 183 people (18.8%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 402 households. There were 582 males and 576 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female. The median age was 38.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 267 people (23.1%) aged under 15 years, 183 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 567 (49.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 135 (11.7%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.9% European/Pākehā, 6.0% Māori, 0.5% Pacific peoples, 4.7% Asian, and 2.1% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 9.3%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 50.3% had no religion, 39.4% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 144 (16.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 198 (22.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 198 people (22.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 534 (59.9%) people were employed full-time, 156 (17.5%) were part-time, and 15 (1.7%) were unemployed.

References

{{Southland District, New Zealand Populated places in Southland, New Zealand