McLeans Island is a rural area north and northwest of Christchurch city, and south of

Waimakariri River The Waimakariri River is one of the largest rivers in Canterbury, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It flows for in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. ...

. The area was an island in the Waimakariri River until the 1930s, when

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

measures and

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

work schemes blocked the south branch of the river which separated the island from the south bank. It was named for the Scottish McLean family, who established Waimakariri Station on the south bank in the 1850s.

Allan Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) ...

and

John McLean John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was often discussed for ...

owned the land after their brother Robertson returned to Scotland. Part of the area is in

Waimakariri River Regional Park Waimakariri River Regional Park is a regional park in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It covers on the banks of the Waimakariri River, and is operated by Environment Canterbury. History Waimakariri was once a vast and unco ...

, which contains McLeans Forest where there are walking, running and cycling tracks.

Orana Wildlife Park Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo, sitting on 80 hectares of land, located on the outskirts of Christchurch. It opened in 1976, and is owned and operated by the Orana Wildlife Trust, a registered charity. The aims of the ...

is a zoo in the area.

Demographics

McLeans Island covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². McLeans Island had a population of 198 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 ...

, a decrease of 36 people (−15.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 60 people (43.5%) 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 63 households. There were 108 males and 93 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.16 males per female. The median age was 46.7 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (13.6%) aged under 15 years, 39 (19.7%) aged 15 to 29, 93 (47.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (21.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 87.9% European/Pākehā, 4.5% Māori, 7.6% Asian, and 4.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 22.7%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 42.4% had no religion, 51.5% were Christian and 1.5% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 36 (21.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 36 (21.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 87 (50.9%) people were employed full-time, 30 (17.5%) were part-time, and 3 (1.8%) were unemployed.

References

{{Waimakariri River Suburbs of Christchurch Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand