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Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains to the east of the ÅŒreti or New River some north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town 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 ...
. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including
Fiordland National Park Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 National parks of New Zealand, national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering , and a major part of the Te W� ...
covering the south-west corner of the South Island and the
Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha, New Zealand, Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between ...
coastal region. Many streets in the city, especially in the centre and main shopping district, are named after rivers in Scotland. These include the main streets Dee and Tay, as well as those named after the
Tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...
, Forth, Tyne, Esk, Don, Ness,
Yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...
, Spey,
Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
and Ythan rivers, amongst others. The 2018 census showed the population was 54,204, up 2.7% on the 2006 census number and up 4.8% on the 2013 census number.


Toponymy

'' Inver'' comes from the
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
word meaning 'a river's mouth' and ''Cargill'' is in honour of Captain William Cargill, who was at the time the Superintendent of
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 ...
, of which Southland was then a part.Wright (2009), p. 224 The MÄori name for the city, , comes from the Waihopai River. It may be a corruption of , meaning ('water or stream') of Pai.


History

Southland was the scene of early extended contact between Europeans and MÄori, notably whalers and missionaries – Wohlers at
Ruapuke Island Ruapuke Island is one of the southernmost islands in New Zealand's main chain of islands. It is located to the southeast of Bluff and northeast of Oban on Stewart Island. It was named "Bench Island" upon its discovery by Captain James Cook i ...
.Wright (2009), p. 61 In 1853, Walter Mantell purchased Murihiku from local MÄori
iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand MÄori society. In MÄori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the MÄori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
, claiming the land for European settlement.Wright (2009), p. 140
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 ...
, of which Southland was itself part, was the subject of planned settlement by the Free Church of Scotland, an offshoot of the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
.King (2003), p. 170 Settlement broadened with the discovery of gold in Central Otago in the 1860s. Traces of Scottish speech persist in Southland voices, with R often pronounced with a rolling burr. This is more noticeable among country people. In 1856, a petition was put forward to Thomas Gore Browne, the
Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
, for a port at Bluff. During the Otago gold rush, the region's population grew during the 1860s with the settlement of Bluff.Wright (2009), p. 148 Browne agreed to the petition and gave the name Invercargill to the settlement north of the port. The settlement's chief surveyor was
John Turnbull Thomson John Turnbull Thomson (10 August 1821 – 16 October 1884) was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth-century Colonial Singapore, Singapore and New Zealan ...
, a British civil engineer. Under the influence of James Menzies, Southland Province (a small part of the present Region, centred on Invercargill) seceded from Otago in 1861 following the escalation of political tensions. However, rising debt forced Southland to rejoin Otago in 1870 and the provincial system, and with it the province of Otago, was abolished entirely in 1876.Wright (2009), p. 237 This debt was caused by a population decline stemming from poor returns from pastoral farming. In 1874, Invercargill's population was less than 2,500, which reflected the drift north to large centres. In the 1880s, the development of an export industry based on butter and cheese encouraged the growth of
dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...
in Southland.King (203), p. 238 On 6 August 1884, a group of women gathered together in the Don Street Primitive Methodist Church to form a local branch of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...
. Eliza Ann Brown, wife of Charles W. Brown (who that same year co-founded the local
Independent Order of Rechabites The Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR), also known as the Sons and Daughters of Rechab,Alan Axelrod ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'' New York; Facts on File, inc 1997 p.206 is a fraternal organisation a ...
), led the group to establish eight main objectives, which included gathering signatures for a petition for women's suffrage. This was the first all-women's organisation established in New Zealand. After affiliating with the new national organisation, the Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand, under the guidance of world missionary Mary C. Leavitt, Roberta Annie Hinton, wife of the new Baptist minister, led the new club as it worked to strengthen the temperance movement in the area and support the needs of women and children across the nation. By 1897, a founding member of this first branch of the WCTU Invercargill, Mrs. Elizabeth Stephen Baird, led the establishment of the Victoria Home for Friendless Girls. In December 1905, Invercargill voted in local
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
of alcohol sales. This lasted for 40 years until voted out by returning servicemen in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Drinking continued meanwhile, thanks to hotels and liquor merchants in outlying districts, huge volumes of beer, often in kegs, brought to private homes, or sold by the glass by keggers at hiding spots round the city. When prohibition ended, a committee of citizens persuaded the Government to give the monopoly on liquor sales in Invercargill to the specially formed Invercargill Licensing Trust. Based on a scheme in
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
, England, it returns profits to city amenities. Even today, alcohol is not sold in supermarkets. Publicity was brought to the city by the election of Tim Shadbolt, a colourful and outspoken former student activist and former mayor of Waitemata City, as mayor. His supporters liked the colour he brought to the city. His opponents referred to his controversial mayoral career in the
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
suburbs and to his attitude to veterans during his opposition to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Publicity and students have also been drawn to the city by the Southern Institute of Technology's "Zero Fees" scheme, which allows New Zealand citizens and permanent residents to study while only paying for material costs of their study, and not tuition fees.


Geography

Invercargill is the southernmost city in the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
. Invercargill is situated on the fertile and alluvial Southland Plains, which is amongst some of New Zealand's most fertile farmland. Southern Invercargill lies on the shore of the
New River Estuary New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
, while the northern parts lie on the banks of the Waihopai River. The Otepuni Stream or Creek, which flows from east to west through the city, through Otepuni Gardens, and under the railway yards. 10 kilometres west of the city centre lies Oreti Beach, a long expanse of sand stretching from the Sandy Point area to nearby Riverton. Owing to its relatively high latitude (46° 24′), the city enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at the summer
solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...
in late December, with astronomical night lasting as little as 2.5 hours. Conversely, the city receives only around 8.5 hours of daylight at the winter solstice in late June. Invercargill is the "City of Water and Light". The "light" refers to the long summer twilights and the aurora australis (southern lights). The "water" reference, humorists suggest, comes from notorious horizontal, driving rain in high wind at the corner of the two main streets, Dee and Tay. A recent sign also states, "Invercargill, where dreams can come true" with an image from the 2005 film ''
The World's Fastest Indian ''The World's Fastest Indian'' is a 2005 New Zealand biographical Sports film, sports Drama (film and television), drama film based on the story of New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified 1920 Indian Scout (motorcycle), I ...
''.


Suburbs


Inner Invercargill suburbs

* Appleby * Avenal * Clifton * Georgetown *
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 â€“ 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
*
Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...
* Grasmere * Hargest * Hawthorndale *
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 ...
* Invercargill Central *
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...
* Kingswell * Newfield * Prestonville * Richmond * Rockdale * Rosedale * Strathern * Waikiwi * Waverley * West Invercargill * Windsor


Outer Invercargill localities

* Awarua * Awarua Plains * Bluff1 * Greenhills * Greenpoint *
Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...
* Lorneville * Makarewa * Motu Rimu * Myross Bush * Omaui * Oreti Beach * Otatara1 * Sandy Point * Seaward Bush * Taramoa * Tisbury * Tiwai Point *
Underwood Underwood may refer to: People *Underwood (surname), people with the surname Places Australia *Underwood, Queensland, a suburb of Logan City, Australia *Underwood, Tasmania, a locality United Kingdom *Underwood, Devon, a List of United Kingdom ...
* Wallacetown1 * West Plains * Waimatua * Woodend 1 - major settlement


Climate

Invercargill has a
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
. The mean daily temperature ranges from in July to in January. The yearly mean temperature is . Rainfall averages annually, and measurable snowfall is occasionally seen during the winter months of June to September. It ties with neighbouring
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 ...
as the cloudiest city in New Zealand, with only 1,680 hours of sunshine per annum. Despite its cloudiness, and a relatively high frequency of rainy days, Invercargill receives less rain than either Auckland or Wellington. Invercargill is also New Zealand's second-windiest city, after Wellington. The average temperature high ranges from in January to in July, but temperatures do occasionally exceed in summer. Invercargill's hottest temperature on record was , recorded on 2 January 1948. Extended periods of heat are rare; however, January 2018 was notable for the city recording three consecutive days above 30 for the first time in its recorded history, peaking with the city's second-highest temperature on record of on 14 January 2018. Like other urban areas in New Zealand, Invercargill sometimes experiences an
urban heat island Urban areas usually experience the urban heat island (UHI) effect; that is, they are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent when winds ar ...
effect; temperatures are slightly higher within the inner-city regions compared to the surrounding countryside. This is typically between 1-2°C and depends on factors like wind speed and cloud cover. In September 2010, Invercargill's heaviest snowfall in living memory heralded a run of unseasonably cold weather. A few buildings were damaged, notably Stadium Southland, the roof of which collapsed under the weight of the snow; and a decorating store. Many other stores were shut, and
Invercargill Airport Invercargill Airport is a fully secured controlled international designated airport located 1.6 km (one mile) west of the Central business district of Invercargill at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southernmost co ...
was closed for a day. Invercargill is one of four places in New Zealand where weather balloons are regularly launched for MetService.


Demographics

The Invercargill City territorial authority covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. This comprises people in the Invercargill urban area, people in the Bluff urban area, and people in the surrounding settlements and rural area. Invercargill City had a population of 55,599 in the
2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 1,395 people (2.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 3,903 people (7.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 27,255 males, 28,137 females and 210 people of other genders in 22,326 dwellings. 3.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 10,233 people (18.4%) aged under 15 years, 10,035 (18.0%) aged 15 to 29, 25,083 (45.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 10,251 (18.4%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 82.2% European (
PÄkehÄ ''PÄkehÄ'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a MÄori language, MÄori-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 ...
); 19.4% MÄori; 4.7% Pasifika; 7.6% Asian; 1.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.1%, MÄori language by 3.7%, Samoan by 0.8% and other languages by 7.8%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.8, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.0%
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 ...
, 1.1%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as SanÄtanÄ«s) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym SanÄtana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.6%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.6%
MÄori religious beliefs MÄori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the MÄori people * MÄori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * MÄori language, the language of the MÄori people of New Zealand * MÄori culture * Cook Islanders, the MÄori people of the Co ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.4%
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.6%, and 8.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 5,988 (13.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 25,002 (55.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 12,597 (27.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,627 people (8.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 23,430 (51.6%) people were employed full-time, 6,246 (13.8%) were part-time, and 1,167 (2.6%) were unemployed.


Urban area

The Invercargill urban area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Invercargill had a population of 48,987 in the
2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 1,143 people (2.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 3,456 people (7.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 23,877 males, 24,930 females and 183 people of other genders in 19,752 dwellings. 3.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 39.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 9,048 people (18.5%) aged under 15 years, 9,120 (18.6%) aged 15 to 29, 21,783 (44.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 9,036 (18.4%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 81.4% European (
PÄkehÄ ''PÄkehÄ'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a MÄori language, MÄori-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 ...
); 18.8% MÄori; 4.9% Pasifika; 8.3% Asian; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.9%, MÄori language by 3.8%, Samoan by 0.8% and other languages by 8.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...
was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 33.4%
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 ...
, 1.2%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as SanÄtanÄ«s) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym SanÄtana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.7%
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.6%
MÄori religious beliefs MÄori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the MÄori people * MÄori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * MÄori language, the language of the MÄori people of New Zealand * MÄori culture * Cook Islanders, the MÄori people of the Co ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.4%
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.1%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 5,388 (13.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 21,870 (54.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 11,079 (27.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,042 people (7.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 20,550 (51.5%) people were employed full-time, 5,400 (13.5%) were part-time, and 1,053 (2.6%) were unemployed.


Government


Local

The Invercargill City Council governs the territorial authority of Invercargill. It is made up of an elected mayor and 12 additional councillors. They are elected under the
First Past the Post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...
system in triennial elections, with the last election being held in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. The current mayor is Nobby Clark.


National

The electorate 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 ...
in the
New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...
is held by Penny Simmonds, a Member of Parliament and Minister from the government party National Party. Under the
MÄori electorates In Politics of New Zealand, New Zealand politics, MÄori electorates, colloquially known as the MÄori seats (), are a special category of New Zealand electorates, electorate that give Reserved political positions, reserved positions to repre ...
system, Invercargill is part of the large
Te Tai Tonga Te Tai Tonga () is a New Zealand parliamentary MÄori electorates, MÄori electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representatives. It was established for the 1996 New Zeal ...
electorate, which covers the entire South Island and the surrounding islands, and is currently held by the
Te PÄti MÄori (), also known as the MÄori Party, is a left-wing political party in New Zealand advocating MÄori people, MÄori rights. With the exception of a handful of New Zealand electorates#Electorates in the 53rd Parliament, general electorates, co ...
MP TÄkuta Ferris.


Economy

Invercargill is home to the Southern Institute of Technology,Russell Kirkpatrick (2005), plate 48 which has introduced a zero-fees scheme. The scheme was partly responsible for rejuvenating the city when it was in a steady state of population decline. However the major factor in Invercargill's regrowth is the dairy industrial boom of the 2000s (decade) due to an increased demand for New Zealand milk, cheese and butter. New dairy factories have opened around the Southland Region, as well as more efficient meat processing works and research and development facilities.


Liquor licensing trusts

The Invercargill Licensing Trust is one of several trusts in the city of Invercargill. The Invercargill Licensing Trust and the ILT Foundation are major funders of community projects in Invercargill. The ILT Foundation provides donations and grants totalling around $10 million a year to over 500 organisations. The trust has also been influential in the development of city facilities such as the ILT Stadium Southland and Invercargill Velodrome. The trust are also big-time backers of local sporting franchises the Southern Steel, Southland Sharks and Southland Stags. The Community Trust of Southland was established after
Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it acquired the Commerc ...
bought out the Trust Bank Southland in the late 1990s. It was sold for approximately $150 million, with those funds now being set aside for the people of the Southland regions, including Queenstown, Arrowtown and Tapanui. It is widely recognised as one of New Zealand's leading community trusts, with the benefit of a large capital base for a relatively small population. Consequently, the Trust provides significant funding to a wide range of projects and programmes. Each year, it distributes between $7 and $10 million in the region, not including the large sums given to sports franchises and building projects and since its inception has distributed close to $140 million in grants.


Brewing

Invercargill was home to Invercargill Brewery, the southernmost manufacturer of beer in New Zealand. Established in 1999, it was an internationally award-winning production brewery which also contract brews for other iconic New Zealand breweries, including Yeastie Boys. The company went into receivership in 2018.


Tourism

Invercargill is 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 ...
(tourist road), allowing day trips to Queenstown,
Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...
,
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 ...
,
Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the Southland, New Zealand, Southland List of regions in New Zealand, region of the South Island of New Zealand. In MÄori language, MÄori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake ...
and
Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...
, and has a growing tourism sector in the city itself. Transport-themed attractions include the E Hayes and Sons hardware store that features Burt Munro's original motorcycle, the Bill Richardson Transport World, Classic Motorcycle Mecca, and Dig This.


Banking

SBS Bank, or the Southland Building Society, is a New Zealand-based financial institution that traces its roots back to 1869. Originally established as a building society in Invercargill by James Walker Bain to help local communities achieve their financial goals, SBS Bank has evolved into a full-service bank offering a wide range of banking and financial products. With its headquarters in Invercargill.


Culture

Murihiku Marae is located in Invercargill. It is a ''
marae A ' (in MÄori language, New Zealand MÄori, Cook Islands MÄori, 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 ...
'' (meeting ground) of the WaihÅpai RÅ«nanga branch of
NgÄi Tahu NgÄi Tahu, or KÄi Tahu, is the principal MÄori people, MÄori (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 MÄori 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). During the late 1880s a small periodical called ''Literary Southland'' contained stories as well as memoirs of the pioneering days of the region. The publication was distributed from a store in the northern end of Invercargill. While largely forgotten today, it was considered relatively popular at the time, if at times controversial.


Sport

The Southern Sting (Netball- Now Southern Steel) won seven National titles from 1999 to 2004, 2007, while the local rugby team the Southland Stags held the Ranfurly Shield from 22 October 2009 to 9 October 2010 and have made the NPC Semi-finals for the past three years. Southland also has one of the highest percentages of sports participants in the country, with codes such as
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
,
netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
, basketball,
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, and
hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
being popular. Many professional sportsmen too, have come out of Southland as well. Invercargill also has some high quality sporting facilities, including an indoor velodrome, an Olympic sized swimming centre, a 20,000 capacity rugby stadium and also international playing arenas for both hockey and cricket. The city's 4500 capacity indoor stadium was severely damaged in 2010, its roof collapsing following a heavy snowfall. Southland also has four professional sporting sides that are based in Invercargill: * Southland Stags (Rugby) * Spirit FC (Association Football) * Southern Steel (Netball) * Southland Sharks (Basketball) Invercargill is home to the only indoor cycling
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
in the South Island. The indoor 250 metres wooden velodrome is home to
Track Cycling Track cycling is a Cycle sport, bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its i ...
in Southland. The Invercargill Licensing Trust supports the velodrome which is situated at Stadium Southland, a large indoor sports complex located at Surrey Park. For horse racing aficionados there is a racecourse in the aptly named Racecourse Road, on the east side of the city. Two
motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
tracks are located within 1 kilometre of each other, and 10 kilometres west from the centre of the city by Oreti Beach. The Oreti Park Speedway and the Riverside Speedway both host important events, the former has held qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship in 1976 and 1983 and the New Zealand Solo Championship six times.


Music

The " Invercargill March", an internationally famous tune, was written by Alex Lithgow, who attended Invercargill Grammar School (now Middle School). In his book ''Invercargill – 150 Years'', Lloyd Esler's opening sentence reads, "Invercargill was done a fine favour by Alex Lithgow who named his famous march after his boyhood home. The Invercargill March is possibly the best advertisement the town has ever had as the work is a brass-band favourite and the word 'Invercargill' is whispered amongst audiences worldwide. There is only one Invercargill in the world – this one". When Invercargill hosted the national brass band contest in 1909, Alex's brother Tom asked for a test piece for the contest and Alex offered this piece to the city. On the music he wrote,


Education


Tertiary

The Southern Institute of Technology is a polytechnic based in Invercargill which provides undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. The
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
College of Education has its southern–most campus in the city. The Southern Wings Aviation College operates from Invercargill Airport and provides aviation licence training and the New Zealand Diploma in Aviation.


Secondary schools

All high schools in Invercargill are Year 7–13, following a
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
review in 2004 that made most of Invercargill's primary schools Year 1–6, while also closing the three Year 7–8 schools Rosedale Intermediate, Collingwood Intermediate and Tweedsmuir Junior High. James Hargest College is in northern Invercargill with about 1,800 pupils. Aurora College was established in 2005, after Mount Anglem College was closed in 2004. In 2005 Southland Girls' High School became the first state Year 7–13 single-sex female school in New Zealand, and
Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881, ...
became the first state Year 7–13 single-sex male school. Verdon College is a co-educational Catholic school with about 700 pupils. Te Wharekura o Arowhenua is a
MÄori language MÄori (; endonym: 'the MÄori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the MÄori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...
school that teaches years from 1–15.


Primary schools

Most primary schools are Year 1–6.


Transport

Invercargill has six bus routes operated by BusSmart INVERCARGILL: Clifton 1, Kingswell 2, Newfield 3, Hargest 4, Waverley 5 and Waikiwi 6. The bus routes depart the BusSmart Hub outside Cotton On Group Invercargill on Tay Street. BusSmart uses the Bee Card used in most regions of New Zealand. There are no buses on Sundays or public holidays. '' The Southener'' passenger train previously operated between Christchurch and Invercargill daily, but this ceased operations in 2002 due to low patronage. There are currently no passenger rail services.


Infrastructure and services

The main hospital in Invercargill is Southland Hospital, located in Kew. It is a public hospital operated by the Southern District Health Board. The electricity distribution network in the majority of the Invercargill urban area is owned by Electricity Invercargill. The network in the suburbs of Waikiwi, Grasmere, Kew and Kingswell, as well as the surrounding rural area, is owned by The Power Company. Both networks are operated and maintained by Powernet. Electricity is supplied from Transpower's national grid at two substations: Invercargill (Racecourse Road) and North Makarewa.


Notable residents

* Peter Arnett –
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
war correspondent * Peter Beck –
Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corporation is a Public company, publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and List of launch service providers, launch service provider. Its Rocket Lab Electron, Electron orbital rocket launches Small satellite, small satellites, and ha ...
, founder and CEO * Eliza Ann Brown - first president of the first WCTU organisation in New Zealand (1884) *
Oliver Bulleid Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 September 1882 â€“ 25 April 1970) was a British railway and mechanical engineer best known as the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Southern Railway ( ...
– Railway locomotive designer and Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway, born in Invercargill in 1882 * John Burke – Mayor of Porirua * Johnnie Checketts – Silver Star, Wingco and Spitfire Ace * Nathan Cohen – Olympic and two-time world champion rower * Geoffrey Cox – Rhodes Scholar, Chief Intelligence Officer to General Freyberg in WWII, founded Britain's pioneering News at Ten on ITN. * Bill Crawford-Crompton – Silver Star, Air Vice Marshal and WW2 Commander and Ace * Marton Csokas – actor * Dave Cull - former TV host and mayor 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 ...
* Dan Davin – author, editor * Corey Flynn – Hooker for
All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
* Ernest Godward – inventor of the spiral hairpin and the petrol economiser * Dene Halatau –
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
Utility in the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
* Joseph Hatch – businessman, oil factor * James Hargest – CBE, DSO & 2 bars, MC, ED, MP – New Zealand chief military officer for Southland and politician * Rowena Jackson – Royal Ballet prima ballerina * Gerard Johnstone - film director * Jason Kerrison – Opshop singer/songwriter * Chris Knox – musician, cartoonist, filmmaker * Brendon Leitch – racing driver *
Damon Leitch Damon Bryce Leitch (born 23 December 1992 in Invercargill) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competed in the Toyota Racing Series from 2011 to 2014. Career Leitch began his racing career in karting when he was six years old. In 2007 he began ...
– racing driver * Alex Lithgow – composer, musician, conductor * Bill Manhire – inaugural NZ poet laureate * Khan Manuel – guitarist/composer * Mils Muliaina – All Black * Burt Munro – inventor, motorcycle enthusiast, racer and under-1000 cc land speed record holder * Donald Murray "Father of the Teletypewriter" * Harry Norris – music director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company * Anton Oliver – All Black * Warren Parry – darts player * Herbert Pither – aviation legend of Southland * Suzanne Prentice – musician * Boyce Richardson – journalist, author, filmmaker * Lesley Rumball – former Silver Ferns Captain * Tom Scully – cyclist, 2014 Commonwealth Gold Medallist * Tim Shadbolt - former mayor * Penny Simmonds – New Zealand politician * Victor Spencer – last soldier to be executed in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, pardoned in 2005 * David Strang – inventor of instant coffee in 1890 * Glen Thomson – cyclist, 1998 Commonwealth Gold Medallist, 1994 Commonwealth Bronze Medallist * Garfield Todd –
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
of
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
*
Jeremy Waldron Jeremy Waldron (; born 13 October 1953) is a New Zealand legal philosopher. He holds a University Professorship at the New York University School of Law, is affiliated with the New York University Department of Philosophy, and was formerly the ...
– legal and political philosopher *
Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the New Zealand Liber ...
–
Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...
* Jeff Wilson – All Black and Black Cap (" Double All Black") * Bob Yule – WWII fighter pilot


Sister cities


Current sister cities

* Kumagaya (since 1993) * Suqian (since 2013)


Former sister city

*
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...


See also

* Invercargill Golf Club * Invercargill Rowing Club * Invercargill Rugby Club (Blues)


Notes


References

* * * * A Complete Guide To Heraldry by A.C. Fox-Davies 1909.


External links


Invercargill City Council official website

Invercargill i-SITE visitor information
{{Authority control Populated places in the Southland Region Southern Scenic Route Former provincial capitals of New Zealand