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 f ...

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 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 � ...

(the border with the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) 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 / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā 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, North Canterbury, and

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) 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 Rive ...

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 to undulating lowland hills and the Canterbury Plains. 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, Geraldine, Waimate, Pleasant Point, Fairlie, Twizel,

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 Len ...

and Saint Andrews. 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 and four District Councils:

, Mackenzie, Waimate, and

Waitaki Waitaki District is a territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. ...

, 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 gli ...

. 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 seat, and Rangitata as a relatively safe seat for the same party, although the city of Timaru itself is seen as being a 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 of the Labour Party.

References

{{coord, 44, 30, S, 171, 00, E, display=title Canterbury, New Zealand