Kensington (

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 C ...

: ''Tawatawhiti'') is a suburb of

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and Hikurangi Town coun ...

, in

Northland Region The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is about 2 kilometres north of the city centre.

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

runs through Kensington, The Western Hills form a boundary on the west, and

Hātea River The Hātea River is a river of New Zealand. It flows from the north-east of Whangarei southwards and into the northern head of Whangarei Harbour. Its lower length forms the eastern boundary of the city. The banks along the lower reaches are parks ...

on the east. The area includes Whangarei Quarry Gardens, a 24 hectare public garden set around an artificial lake.

History

In 2018,

Whangarei District Council Whangarei District Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Whangarei) is the territorial authority for the Whangarei District of New Zealand. The council is led by the mayor of Whangarei, who is currently . There are 13 councillors. Composition 2019–20 ...

completed improvements to the Kensington Avenue and Kamo Road intersection, following delays since 2014 in acquiring properties. In April 2020, Police investigated the death of a five-month-old baby at a home in Kensington. The following month, Police recovered a stolen vehicle with a baby inside from a property in Kensington. The vehicle had been stolen from a nearby petrol station before being abandoned. A major storm struck Kensington in July 2018. It caused extensive damage to the Whangarei Quarry Gardens, and at least one home was evacuated. In August 2020, the first stage of a $15.5 million development opened in Kensington. The complex includes a medical centre, gym, physio, food outlets and an early childhood centre. The property was owned by

Northland Regional Council The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...

, and was previously the site of a Woolworths and

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

supermarket, but had been vacant since 2014.

Demographics

Kensington covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Whangarei Quarry Gardens

Kensington had a population of 3,240 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 228 people (7.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 39 people (1.2%) 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 1,389 households, comprising 1,527 males and 1,713 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female. The median age was 46.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 480 people (14.8%) aged under 15 years, 570 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,443 (44.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 747 (23.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 75.3% European/Pākehā, 27.4% Māori, 4.3% Pacific peoples, 8.2% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 45.1% had no religion, 41.0% were Christian, 2.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.6% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.9% were Buddhist and 2.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 486 (17.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 588 (21.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 321 people (11.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,200 (43.5%) people were employed full-time, 378 (13.7%) were part-time, and 123 (4.5%) were unemployed.

References

{{Whangarei District Populated places in the Northland Region Suburbs of Whangārei