Ahaura is a town in the West Coast region of 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 ...

, sited where the

Ahaura River The Ahaura River is in the South Island of New Zealand. This river drains the western flanks of the Southern Alps and flows into the Grey River. The Ahaura and its many tributaries rise in the Lake Sumner State Forest park and enters the G ...

flows into the Grey River. State Highway 7 and the Stillwater–Ngākawau railway line pass through the town.

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

is to the south-west, and

Reefton Reefton is a small town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast region of New Zealand, approximately northeast of Greymouth, New Zealand, Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is to ...

is to the north-east. European settlement of the area began with the establishment of a pastoral run near the junction of the Ahaura and Grey Rivers in 1858. At one time the town supported six hotels, two butcheries, a bakery, a blacksmith's shop, and a printing office.

Demographics

Ahaura is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Ahaura is part of the larger Nelson Creek statistical area. Ahaura had a population of 96 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 ...

, unchanged since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 15 people (−13.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 45 households, comprising 57 males and 39 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.46 males per female. The median age was 52.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 12 people (12.5%) aged under 15 years, 15 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 45 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (25.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 96.9% 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 ...

, and 3.1%

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 ...

. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 43.8% had no religion, and 50.0% 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 ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (7.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (28.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $26,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 15 people (17.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 45 (53.6%) people were employed full-time, 9 (10.7%) were part-time, and 3 (3.6%) were unemployed.

Climate

Located in the central Grey Valley at an altitude of 80m, Ahaura falls under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification of Cfb (Oceanic), though the nearby Paparoa Range shelters the settlement from moderating seabreezes on summer afternoons, and on winter nights cold air sinks from the Paparoas into the Grey Valley, which results in many more frosts per winter than nearby Greymouth. The area typically observes lower rainfall totals than coastal locations due to the rain-shadow effect of the Paparoa Range.

Nelson Creek statistical area

Nelson Creek statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Nelson Creek had a population of 669 at the

, a decrease of 45 people (−6.3%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 48 people (−6.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 276 households, comprising 381 males and 294 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.3 males per female. The median age was 45.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 120 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 105 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 336 (50.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 111 (16.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.2% European/

, 10.8%

, 1.3%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

, 0.9% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 8.5, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.4% had no religion, 33.6% were

, 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 ...

, 0.4% 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 0.9% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 54 (9.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 162 (29.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 63 people (11.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 306 (55.7%) people were employed full-time, 75 (13.7%) were part-time, and 18 (3.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Awahono School – Grey Valley is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of students as of The school was formed at the beginning of 2005 from the merger of Ahaura, Moonlight, Ngahere and Totara Flat schools.

Notes

External links

Web page about Ahaura
{{Grey_river , state=expanded Grey District Populated places in the West Coast Region