![Lake_Tekapo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Lake_Tekapo.JPG)
South Canterbury is the area of the
Canterbury Region
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current fo ...
of the
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 ...
of New Zealand bounded by the
Rangitata River
The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for from the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean northeast of Timaru. The riv ...
in the north and the
Waitaki River
The Waitaki River is a large braided river that drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs some south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It starts at the confluence of the Å ...
(the border with the
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, ÅŒtÄkou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the
Southern Alps / KÄ Tiritiri o te Moana
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / KÄ Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
form natural boundaries to the east and west respectively. Though the exact boundaries of the region have never been formalised, the term is used for a variety of government agencies (e.g., the South Canterbury District Health Board) and other entities (such as the
South Canterbury provincial rugby team).
South Canterbury Rugby Football Union
/ref> It is one of four traditional sub-regions of Canterbury, along with Mid Canterbury
Mid Canterbury (also spelt Mid-Canterbury and mid-Canterbury) is a traditional, semi-official subregion of New Zealand's Canterbury Region extending inland from the Pacific coast to the Southern Alps. It is one of four traditional sub-regions of C ...
, North Canterbury
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current fo ...
, and Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, ÅŒtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
city.
Geography
South Canterbury's geography covers a wide range of different terrains, from alpine slopes across the glacier carved lakes Tekapo and Pukaki and high country basin of the Mackenzie Country
The Mackenzie Basin (), popularly and traditionally known as the Mackenzie Country, is an elliptical intermontane river basin, basin located in the Mackenzie District, Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts, near the centre of the South Island of Ne ...
to undulating lowland hills and the Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in t ...
. Sheep farming is an important industry in the region, as is tourism. In recent years, much like neighbouring Mid Canterbury, there has been an increase in dairy farming, with the large Clandeboye Dairy Factory located north of Temuka. Hydroelectricity generation is a major industry in the southern and western part of South Canterbury, along the catchment of the Waitaki River.[Wilson, J.]
South Canterbury region
, '' Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand'', 12 May 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2016
South Canterbury's main urban area is Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
(population 28,800), which is the second largest centre in the entire Canterbury Region. Other towns in South Canterbury include Temuka
Temuka is a town on New Zealand's Canterbury Plains, 15 kilometres north of Timaru and 142 km south of Christchurch. It is located at the centre of a rich sheep and dairy farming region, for which it is a service town. It lies on the north ...
, Geraldine, Waimate
Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...
, Pleasant Point, Fairlie, Twizel
Twizel () is the largest town in the Mackenzie District, in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. The town was founded in 1968 to house construction workers on the Upper Waitaki Hydroelectric Scheme. Today, Twizel is a ser ...
, Glenavy
Glenavy () is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 17 kilometres north west of Lisburn on the banks of the Glenavy River. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 5,697 people. In early documents it was known as Lena ...
and Saint Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...
. South Canterbury's 2013 population was 55,623, about 9% of Canterbury's total population.
Local government
At the local level, South Canterbury is administered by the Canterbury Regional Council
Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan. is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's str ...
and four District Councils: Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
, Mackenzie
Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to:
People
* Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Clan Mackenzie, a S ...
, Waimate
Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...
, and Waitaki, the latter of which also includes a portion of North Otago
North Otago in New Zealand covers the area of Otago between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre for astronomy and for glid ...
. At the national level, most of South Canterbury's rural area is covered, along with much of North Otago, by the Waitaki electorate. Timaru and the coastal strip to the north of it (including Temuka) is part of the Rangitata electorate. Waitaki is regarded as a safe National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
seat, and Rangitata as a relatively safe seat for the same party, although the city of Timaru itself is seen as being a Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
stronghold. The seat of Waitaki is currently held by Jacqui Dean
Jacqueline Isobel Dean (née Hay, born 13 May 1957) is a New Zealand politician and the current Member of Parliament for the Waitaki electorate, where she represents the National Party.
Early career
Dean was born in Palmerston North. She has ...
of the National Party, whilst the seat of Rangitata is held by Jo Luxton
Jo-Anne Marie Luxton (born 1973) is a New Zealand politician and a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.
Personal life
Luxton owns and operates the Hinds Early Learning Centre, the first such business in New ...
of the Labour Party.
References
{{coord, 44, 30, S, 171, 00, E, display=title
Canterbury, New Zealand