Heidelberg is a suburb of the southern New Zealand city of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

. It is located to the southeast of the city centre. The area was called Conyerstown by its first

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

owner, Thomas Agnew. He sold the land to settlers Joseph and Martin Metzger, who were both connected to

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

in Germany. Notable features of the predominantly residential suburb include Elizabeth Park, a secondary school (

Aurora College Aurora College, formerly Arctic College, is a college located in the Northwest Territories, Canada with campuses in Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. It has learning centres in 23 communities in the NWT. The head office for Aurora College i ...

), and one of the city's main

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

, Murihiku Marae. The suburb is roughly bounded by Regent Street in the east, Pomona Street in the west, and Centre Street and Tramway Road in the north and south, respectively. Murihiku Marae is located in Heidelberg. It is a ''

'' (meeting ground) of the Waihōpai Rūnanga branch of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

, and includes Te Rakitauneke ''

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

'' (meeting house).

Demographics

Heidelberg covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Before the 2023 census, Heidelberg had a larger boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Heidelberg had a population of 2,601 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 54 people (2.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 141 people (5.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 957 households, comprising 1,230 males and 1,377 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.89 males per female, with 621 people (23.9%) aged under 15 years, 516 (19.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,041 (40.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 426 (16.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 78.7% 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 ...

, 25.7%

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 8.0% Pasifika, 4.7% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.0% had no religion, 33.4% 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 ...

, 1.4% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 0.7% 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 ...

, 0.3% were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.1% 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 1.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 171 (8.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 612 (30.9%) people had no formal qualifications. 132 people (6.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 957 (48.3%) people were employed full-time, 264 (13.3%) were part-time, and 105 (5.3%) were unemployed.

Education

is a state secondary school for years 7 to 13 with a roll of students as of The school formed in 2005 from the merger of Mt Anglern College and Tweedsmuir Junior High School. Mt Anglern was formed from the merger of Kingswell and Cargill high schools in 1998. St Patrick's School is a state-integrated Catholic primary school for years 1 to 6 with a roll of students. It opened in 1944.

References

{{Invercargill Suburbs of Invercargill