Heriot is a small settlement in

West Otago West Otago is the local name given to part of the region of Otago, New Zealand, lying close to the border with Southland. It is administratively connected to South Otago, but is geographically separated from it by a range of hills known as the B ...

, in the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres southwest of

Raes Junction Raes Junction is a small settlement in New Zealand, located at the intersection of State Highways 8 and 90, in the lower South Island. The highways that meet at the junction are the main routes to the Clutha valley for travellers from Dunedi ...

and 15 kilometres north of

Tapanui Tapanui is a small town in West Otago in New Zealand's South Island, close to the boundary with Southland, New Zealand, Southland region. It is a forestry town at the foot of the Blue Mountains, New Zealand, Blue Mountains and the Pomahaka Rive ...

. The township is likely not to have been named after the Scottish border town of

Heriot Heriot, from Old English ''heregeat'' ("war-gear"), was originally a death-duty in late Anglo-Saxon England, which required that at death, a nobleman provided to his king a given set of military equipment, often including horses, swords, shields ...

(unlike other local towns named after Borders places, such as Kelso and

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at lea ...

), but may have been named from the maiden name of the wife of early settler William Pinkerton. The main economic activities in Heriot are related to livestock and forestry.

Demographics

Heriot covers , and is part of the larger West Otago statistical area. Heriot had a population of 111 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 ...

, a decrease of 18 people (−14.0%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 30 people (−21.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 51 households, comprising 57 males and 54 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 39.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 24 people (21.6%) aged under 15 years, 21 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 48 (43.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (16.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.9% 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 ...

, 13.5%

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 ...

, and 2.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 48.6% had no religion, 40.5% 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 ...

, and 2.7% 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 ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (10.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (24.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 9 people (10.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 54 (62.1%) people were employed full-time, and 12 (13.8%) were part-time.

Education

Heriot School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of . The school was established in 1879.

References

{{Clutha District Populated places in Otago