The Hamilton Urban Area is a

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 ...

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

in the

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

region. It is the fourth-largest urban area in the country with a population of . At its centre is Hamilton City, New Zealand's fourth-largest

territorial authority Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a c ...

. While rural land separates Hamilton from many of the nearby towns, there is significant economic and social integration between the towns and Hamilton. Like the urban areas of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, Napier-Hastings and

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, the Hamilton urban area is subdivided into urban zones. The urban area contains around half the population of the Waikato Region.

Hamilton Urban Zone

Hamilton Urban Zone, with a population of , includes Hamilton City, the towns of

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...

Taupiri Taupiri is a small town of about 500 people on the eastern bank of the Waikato River in the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is overlooked by Taupiri mountain, the sacred burial ground for the Waikato tribes of the Māori people, located ...

Horotiu Horotiu is a small township on the west bank of the Waikato River in the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is on the Waikato Plains north of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and south of Ngāruawāhia. From early in the 20th century it devel ...

, Gordonton, Ohaupo, Ngāhinapōuri, Te Kowhai,

Whatawhata Whatawhata, previously also spelt Whata Whata, is a small town in the Waikato region on the east bank of the Waipā River, at the junction of State Highways 23 and 39, from Hamilton. Te Araroa tramping route passes through Whatawhata. Hist ...

Matangi Matangi ( sa, मातङ्गी, ) is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and an aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother. She is considered to be the Tantric form of Saraswati, the goddess of music and learning. ...

, Tauwhare, Rukuhia and the surrounding rural outskirts. While outside the city limits of Hamilton City, there are many lifestyle blocks in the rural land surrounding the city, primarily in

Tamahere Tamahere is a locality (located on a semi-rural ward that bears the same name) within Waikato District, New Zealand; on the outskirts of Hamilton. The majority of the Ward is zoned as Country Living, with a minimum lot size of 0.5ha. The la ...

, Matangi, Horsham Downs and Rototuna.

Cambridge Urban Zone

Cambridge Urban Zone, with a population of , includes the town of Cambridge and rural area to the north and west.

Te Awamutu Urban Zone

Te Awamutu Urban Zone, with a population of , includes the towns of Te Awamutu and Kihikihi and the surrounding rural area.

Future

The Statistical Standard of Geographic Areas 2018, developed by Statistics New Zealand, will see Hamilton abolished as a statistical urban area. It will be replaced by five separate urban areas: Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Ngāruawāhia and Kihikihi.

References

{{coord, 37, 47, 17.52, S, 175, 16, 51.01, E, region:NZ, display=title Populated places in Waikato Geography of Hamilton, New Zealand