Adobe Flash Player is required to view this gallery.

Alternatively, you can view the non-Flash version .
>
>
People

Real heart land

Possibly nowhere else in New Zealand are people shaped more by their environment than on the West Coast of the South Island. The landscape dominates almost every aspect of Coast life, from the environment we live in to the land we rely on for our livelihoods.

With just 31,000 "Coasters" spread out along a thin, 600km stretch of coastline set against a backdrop of sheer-faced mountains- it's easy to understand why we intertwine with the land around us.  We not only live amongst our natural environment, we also depend on it for our livelihoods. Our driver industries of mining, tourism and farming all rely on the land for success. 
  • Less than one percent of the NZ population lives on the Coast
  • Known affectionately as 'Coasters'
  • More than 200 clubs and recreational interest groups
  • Total crime rates are decreasing every year and are well below the national averages
  • Active Civil Defence organisation
  • The Census night population was 31,802
  • In 2006 there were 64 police and CIB officers working from 9 stations from Karamea to Haast, the largest being in Greymouth with 27 officers

West Coast demographics

This section looks at three demographic indicators:  population; school age population; and migration.  The West Coast region has experienced declines in population in recent years. The West Coast Region had almost flat population growth in 2010.   The table below  presents a summary of demographic and education indicators for the region for the last two periods.

Table 3.1 summary demographic and education indicators

Demographics and Education Latest Previous West Coast
% Change		 New Zealand
% Change
Resident Population 31,929 31,803 0.4% 1.2%
Migration -100 50 na na
School Enrolments 4,952 4,904 0.2% 0.5%

The West Coast region population grew in 2010. This was partly due to a net migration inflow of 50.     This inflow followed a migration outflow in the previous year.  School enrolments increased, with increasing primary students partly offsetting a fall in secondary students.

Resident population

The West Coast population was 31,802 in 2009, up around 200 from the year before, or 0.7 percent, following a rise of 0.3 percent in 2008.  Over the 2009 period, New Zealand achieved an increase of 1.1 percent.

Source: BERL 2010