Brighton is a small seaside town in

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

and within the city limits of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is located 20 kilometres southwest from the city centre on the

Southern Scenic Route The Southern Scenic Route is a scenic route, tourist highway in New Zealand linking Queenstown, New Zealand, Queenstown, Fiordland, Te Anau and the iconic Milford Road to Dunedin via Riverton, New Zealand, Riverton, Invercargill and The Catli ...

History

The area around modern Brighton was not the site of permanent settlement by pre-colonial Māori, but was on their regular trails from their homes on

Otago Peninsula The Otago Peninsula () is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies south-east of Ot ...

to their traditional hunting grounds. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Brighton was the site of seal and

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

hunting, as well as hunting of moa. Stone tool making may have also taken place around the area. European settlement began in the 1860s. The town was named by an early resident, Hugh Williams, after

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in England. Early industries included coal mining, with

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...

being plentiful at nearby Ocean View. The town was also a service town for the local farming community. During the early 20th century, the town was a popular resort for people from nearby

, with several guest houses. With increased motorised transport, the town became a commuter settlement and day-trip destination after World War II.

Geography

Brighton is connected by coastal road with the Dunedin commuter settlement of Waldronville to the northeast (and from there to Dunedin itself) and with Taieri Mouth to the southwest. The settlement of Ocean View lies immediately to the east of Brighton, separated from it by a large bluff (simply known as "Big Rock") which juts towards the ocean to the northeast of Brighton Beach. The coast road winds around this headland on its entry to Brighton from Dunedin. The town faces a small bay which includes a broad sheltered beach, Brighton Beach, and other beaches extend from here, north and east to Waldronville Lagoon and south and west to Taieri Mouth. They make the area popular for summer day trips from Dunedin. At the southern end of Brighton Beach is the mouth of the Otokia Creek, a small stream which has its sources to the southwest in the coastal hills which separate the coast from the Taieri Plains. A small reserve and walkway links the town's main road with the mouth of the Otokia Creek. The reserve contains abundant birdlife, including

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family (biology), family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Sout ...

s and

spoonbill Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...

Demographics

Brighton covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². BrightonNZ1

Brighton had a population of 1,473 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 27 people (1.9%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 36 people (−2.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 615 households, comprising 756 males and 717 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 44.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 264 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 213 (14.5%) aged 15 to 29, 768 (52.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 228 (15.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.5% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 10.4% Māori, 1.6% Pasifika, 2.9% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.5% had no religion, 28.7% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.2% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 2.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 243 (20.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 240 (19.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 186 people (15.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 645 (53.3%) people were employed full-time, 204 (16.9%) were part-time, and 39 (3.2%) were unemployed.

Education

Big Rock Primary School is a full primary school serving years 1 to 8 with a roll of students as of The school was created when Brighton and Ocean View schools merged in 2008.

Notable residents

* James K. Baxter (1926–1972), a poet, grew up here. * Jeff Wilson, a former New Zealand internal rugby union player and husband of Adine Wilson lived here. * Adine Wilson is a New Zealand international netball player and wife of Jeff Wilson.

Notes

{{Authority control Localities in the Dunedin City territory Southern Scenic Route Beaches of Dunedin