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Statistical area 3 (SA3) is a new output geography, introduced in 2023, that allows aggregations of population data between the SA2 geography and territorial authority geography.

​

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released statistical area 3 (SA3) boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by Stats NZ. This version contains 929 SA3s, including 4 non-digitised SA3s.

​

The SA3 geography aims to meet three purposes:

1. approximate suburbs in major, large, and medium urban areas,
2. in predominantly rural areas, provide geographical areas that are larger in area and population size than SA2s but smaller than territorial authorities,
3. minimise data suppression.

​

SA3s in major, large, and medium urban areas were created by combining SA2s to approximate suburbs as delineated in the Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) Localities dataset. Some of the resulting SA3s have very large populations.

​

Outside of major, large, and medium urban areas, SA3s generally have populations of 5,000–10,000. These SA3s may represent either a single small urban area, a combination of small urban areas and their surrounding rural SA2s, or a combination of rural SA2s.

​

Zero or nominal population SA3s

To minimise the amount of unsuppressed data that can be provided in multivariate statistical tables, SA2s with fewer than 1,000 residents are combined with other SA2s wherever possible to reach the 1,000 SA3 population target. However, there are still a number of SA3s with zero or nominal populations.

​

Small population SA2s designed to maintain alignment between territorial authority and regional council geographies are merged with other SA2s to reach the 5,000–10,000 SA3 population target. These merges mean that some SA3s do not align with regional council boundaries but are aligned to territorial authority.

​

Small population island SA2s are included in their adjacent land-based SA3.

​

Island SA2s outside territorial authority or region are the same in the SA3 geography.

​

Inland water SA2s are aggregated and named by territorial authority, as in the urban rural classification.

​

Inlet SA2s are aggregated and named by territorial authority or regional council where the water area is outside the territorial authority.

​

Oceanic SA2s translate directly to SA3s as they are already aggregated to regional council.

​

The 16 non-digitised SA2s are aggregated to the following 4 non-digitised SA3s (SA3 code; SA3 name):

70001; Oceanic outside region, 70002; Oceanic oil rigs, 70003; Islands outside region, 70004; Ross Dependency outside region.

​

SA3 numbering and naming

Each SA3 is a single geographic entity with a name and a numeric code. The name refers to a suburb,recognised place name, or portion of a territorial authority. In some instances where place names are the same or very similar, the SA3s are differentiated by their territorial authority, for example, Hillcrest (Hamilton City) and Hillcrest (Rotorua District).

​

SA3 codes have five digits. North Island SA3 codes start with a 5, South Island SA3 codes start with a 6 and non-digitised SA3 codes start with a 7. They are numbered approximately north to south within their respective territorial authorities. When first created in 2023, the last digit of each code was 0. When SA3 boundaries change in future, only the last digit of the code will change to ensure the north-south pattern is maintained.

​

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Clipped version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

Statistical area 3 (SA3) is a new output geography, introduced in 2023, that allows aggregations of population data between the SA2 geography and territorial authority geography.

​

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released statistical area 3 (SA3) boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by Stats NZ. This version contains 929 SA3s, including 4 non-digitised SA3s.

​

The SA3 geography aims to meet three purposes:

1. approximate suburbs in major, large, and medium urban areas,

2. in predominantly rural areas, provide geographical areas that are larger in area and population size than SA2s but smaller than territorial authorities,

3. minimise data suppression.

​

SA3s in major, large, and medium urban areas were created by combining SA2s to approximate suburbs as delineated in the Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) Localities dataset. Some of the resulting SA3s have very large populations.

​

Outside of major, large, and medium urban areas, SA3s generally have populations of 5,000–10,000. These SA3s may represent either a single small urban area, a combination of small urban areas and their surrounding rural SA2s, or a combination of rural SA2s.

​

Zero or nominal population SA3s

To minimise the amount of unsuppressed data that can be provided in multivariate statistical tables, SA2s with fewer than 1,000 residents are combined with other SA2s wherever possible to reach the 1,000 SA3 population target. However, there are still a number of SA3s with zero or nominal populations.

​

Small population SA2s designed to maintain alignment between territorial authority and regional council geographies are merged with other SA2s to reach the 5,000–10,000 SA3 population target. These merges mean that some SA3s do not align with regional council boundaries but are aligned to territorial authority.

​

Small population island SA2s are included in their adjacent land-based SA3.

​

Island SA2s outside territorial authority or region are the same in the SA3 geography.

​

Inland water SA2s are aggregated and named by territorial authority, as in the urban rural classification.

​

Inlet SA2s are aggregated and named by territorial authority or regional council where the water area is outside the territorial authority.

​

Oceanic SA2s translate directly to SA3s as they are already aggregated to regional council.

​

The 16 non-digitised SA2s are aggregated to the following 4 non-digitised SA3s (SA3 code; SA3 name):

70001; Oceanic outside region, 70002; Oceanic oil rigs, 70003; Islands outside region, 70004; Ross Dependency outside region.

​

SA3 numbering and naming

Each SA3 is a single geographic entity with a name and a numeric code. The name refers to a suburb,recognised place name, or portion of a territorial authority. In some instances where place names are the same or very similar, the SA3s are differentiated by their territorial authority, for example, Hillcrest (Hamilton City) and Hillcrest (Rotorua District).

​

SA3 codes have five digits. North Island SA3 codes start with a 5, South Island SA3 codes start with a 6 and non-digitised SA3 codes start with a 7. They are numbered approximately north to south within their respective territorial authorities. When first created in 2023, the last digit of each code was 0. When SA3 boundaries change in future, only the last digit of the code will change to ensure the north-south pattern is maintained.

​

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Generalised version

This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

2023 Functional Urban Area update

For the 2023 FUA, there have been minor updates from the 2018 FUAs to align with changes to urban rural (UR) boundaries and statistical area 1 (SA1) composition. FUA 2023 is still based on the analysis of 2018 Census of Population and Dwellings commuting data. The Wanaka urban area, whose population has grown to be more than 10,000 based on population estimates, has been reclassified to a medium urban area in the 2023 UR and a medium regional centre in the FUA type.

​

Description

This dataset is the definitive version of the Functional Urban Area boundaries as at 1 January 2023, as defined by Stats NZ.

​

The functional urban area (FUA) classification identifies small urban areas and rural areas that are integrated with major, large, and medium urban areas to create FUAs. In 2023, there are 53 FUAs,excluding ‘land area outside functional urban area’ (9001) and ‘water area outside functional urban area’ (9002). The FUA classificationuses the urban rural (UR) geography to demarcate urban areas, and statistical area 1 areas(SA1s) to demarcate surrounding hinterland (the commuting zone) within FUAs, and rural and water areas outside FUAs.

​

FUAs represent a populated urban core/s and its commuting zone. Workplace address and usual residence address data from the 2018 Census of Population and Dwellings were used to identify satellite urban areas (1,000–4,999 residents), rural settlements and other rural SA1s from which at least 40 percent of workers commuted to urban areas with more than 5,000 residents.

​

FUA numbering and naming

The FUA classification identifies FUAs by the name of the most highly populated urban area it contains, for example, the Christchurch FUA includes the Christchurch urban core and Rangiora, Kaiapoi, and Rolleston secondary urban cores. There is one exception to the naming rule. The Paraparaumu-Waikanae-Paekakariki conurbation and surrounding hinterland is named Kapiti Coast.

​

The FUA classification has a two-level hierarchical structure, joined together to create each FUA code. Level 1 is classified by FUA type (TFUA) a one-digit code and level 2, which has three-digit codes numbered approximately north to south. Some examples are: 1001 Auckland, 2001 Whangārei, 3001 Cambridge, and 4001 Kaitāia.

​

FUA type (TFUA)

FUAs are further categorised by population size. The urban core’s population rather than the entire FUA’s population is used to maintain consistency between the descriptions of UR urban area and FUA type. The categories are, by code:

​

1 Metropolitan area – more than 100,000 residents living in the urban core,

2 Large regional centre – urban core population 30,000–99,999,

3 Medium regional centre – urban core population 10,000–29,999,

4 Small regional centre – urban core population 5,000–9,999, and,

9 Area outside functional urban area.

​

The Greymouth urban area population is less than 10,000 but is classified as a medium regional centre, consistent with its treatment as a medium urban area in the UA classification.

​

To differentiate from the UR classification, when referring to FUAs by name, their FUA type should also be mentioned, for example, Christchurch metropolitan area, Whangarei regional centre.

​

FUA indicator (IFUA)

The IFUA classifies UR2023 urban areas and rural SA1s according to their character within their FUA. The indicators, with their codes in brackets, are:

• urban area within functional urban area – urban core (101), secondary urban core (102), satellite urban area (103),

• rural area within functional urban area – hinterland (201),

• area outside functional urban area – land area outside functional urban area (901), water area outside functional urban area (902).

​

Further information on the urban rural indicator is available on the Stats NZ classification tool Ariā.

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Clipped version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

Urban rural 2023 update

UR 2023 is the first major update of the geography since it was first created in 2018. The update is to ensure UR geographies are relevant and meet criteria before each five-yearly population and dwelling census. UR 2023 contains 13 new rural settlements and 7 new small urban areas. Updates were made to reflect real world change including new subdivisions and motorways, and to improve delineation of urban areas and rural settlements. The Wānaka urban area, whose population has grown to be more than 10,000 based on population estimates, has been reclassified to a medium urban area in the 2023 urban rural indicator.

​

In the 2023 classification there are:

• 7 major urban areas
• 13 large urban areas
• 23 medium urban areas
• 152 small urban areas
• 402 rural settlements.

​

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released urban rural (UR) boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by Stats NZ. This version contains 745 UR areas, including 195 urban areas and 402 rural settlements.

​

Urban rural (UR) is an output geography that classifies New Zealand into areas that share common urban or rural characteristics and is used to disseminate a broad range of Stats NZ’s social, demographic and economic statistics.

The UR separately identifies urban areas, rural settlements, other rural areas, and water areas. Urban areas and rural settlements are form-based geographies delineated by the inspection of aerial imagery, local government land designations on district plan maps, address registers, property title data, and any other available information. However, because the underlying meshblock pattern is used to define the geographies, boundaries may not align exactly with local government land designations or what can be seen in aerial images. Other rural areas, and bodies of water represent areas not included within an urban area.

Urban areas are built from the statistical area 2 (SA2) geography, while rural and water areas are built from the statistical area 1 (SA1) geography.

​

Non-digitised

The following 4 non-digitised UR areas have been aggregated from the 16 non-digitised meshblocks/SA2s.

6901; Oceanic outside region, 6902; Oceanic oil rigs, 6903; Islands outside region, 6904; Ross Dependency outside region.

​

UR numbering and naming

Each urban area and rural settlement is a single geographic entity with a name and a numeric code.

Other rural areas, inland water areas, and inlets are defined by territorial authority; oceanic areas are defined by regional council; and each have a name and a numeric code.

Urban rural codes have four digits. North Island locations start with a 1, South Island codes start with a 2, oceanic codes start with a 6 and non-digitised codes start with 69.

​

Urban rural indicator (IUR)

The accompanying urban rural indicator (IUR) classifies the urban, rural, and water areas by type. Urban areas are further classified by the size of their estimated resident population:

• major urban area – 100,000 or more residents,
• large urban area – 30,000–99,999 residents,
• medium urban area – 10,000–29,999 residents,
• small urban area – 1,000–9,999 residents.

​

This was based on 2018 Census data and 2021 population estimates. Their IUR status (urban area size/rural settlement) may change if the 2023 Census population count moves them up or down a category.

​

The indicators, by name, with their codes in brackets, are:

urban area – major urban (11), large urban (12), medium urban (13), small urban (14),

rural area – rural settlement (21), rural other (22),

water – inland water (31), inlet (32), oceanic (33).

​

The urban rural indicator complements the urban rural geography and is an attribute in this dataset. Further information on the urban rural indicator is available on the Stats NZ classification and coding tool ARIA.

​

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Generalised version

This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

Urban rural 2023 update

UR 2023 is the first major update of the geography since it was first created in 2018. The update is to ensure UR geographies are relevant and meet criteria before each five-yearly population and dwelling census. UR 2023 contains 13 new rural settlements and 7 new small urban areas. Updates were made to reflect real world change including new subdivisions and motorways, and to improve delineation of urban areas and rural settlements. The Wānaka urban area, whose population has grown to be more than 10,000 based on population estimates, has been reclassified to a medium urban area in the 2023 urban rural indicator.

​

In the 2023 classification there are:

• 7 major urban areas
• 13 large urban areas
• 23 medium urban areas
• 152 small urban areas
• 402 rural settlements.

​

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released urban rural (UR) boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by Stats NZ (the custodian), clipped to the coastline. This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries. This version contains 689 UR areas, including 195 urban areas and 402 rural settlements.

​

Urban rural (UR) is an output geography that classifies New Zealand into areas that share common urban or rural characteristics and is used to disseminate a broad range of Stats NZ’s social, demographic and economic statistics.

​

The UR separately identifies urban areas, rural settlements, other rural areas, and water areas. Urban areas and rural settlements are form-based geographies delineated by the inspection of aerial imagery, local government land designations on district plan maps, address registers, property title data, and any other available information. However, because the underlying meshblock pattern is used to define the geographies, boundaries may not align exactly with local government land designations or what can be seen in aerial images. Other rural areas, and bodies of water represent areas not included within an urban area.

​

Urban areas are built from the statistical area 2 (SA2) geography, while rural and water areas are built from the statistical area 1 (SA1) geography.

​

Non-digitised

The following 4 non-digitised UR areas have been aggregated from the 16 non-digitised meshblocks/SA2s.

6901; Oceanic outside region, 6902; Oceanic oil rigs, 6903; Islands outside region, 6904; Ross Dependency outside region.

​

UR numbering and naming

Each urban area and rural settlement is a single geographic entity with a name and a numeric code.

Other rural areas, inland water areas, and inlets are defined by territorial authority; oceanic areas are defined by regional council; and each have a name and a numeric code.

Urban rural codes have four digits. North Island locations start with a 1, South Island codes start with a 2, oceanic codes start with a 6 and non-digitised codes start with 69.

​

Urban rural indicator (IUR)

The accompanying urban rural indicator (IUR) classifies the urban, rural, and water areas by type. Urban areas are further classified by the size of their estimated resident population:

• major urban area – 100,000 or more residents,
• large urban area – 30,000–99,999 residents,
• medium urban area – 10,000–29,999 residents,
• small urban area – 1,000–9,999 residents.

​

This was based on 2018 Census data and 2021 population estimates. Their IUR status (urban area size/rural settlement) may change if the 2023 Census population count moves them up or down a category.

The indicators, by name, with their codes in brackets, are:

urban area – major urban (11), large urban (12), medium urban (13), small urban (14),

rural area – rural settlement (21), rural other (22),

water – inland water (31), inlet (32), oceanic (33).

​

The urban rural indicator complements the urban rural geography and is an attribute in this dataset. Further information on the urban rural indicator is available on the Stats NZ classification and coding tool ARIA.

​

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Clipped version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

2023 Urban Accessibility Indicator update

For the 2023 IUA, there have been minor updates to align with changes to the urban rural (UR) boundaries and SA1 composition. The drive time analysis has not been re-run since the release of IUA 2018. The Wānaka urban area, whose population has grown to bemore than 10,000 based on population estimates, has been reclassified to a medium urban area in the 2023 UR. However, it will continue to be classified as a small urban area in the IUA until the analysis is re-run for the next major update.

​

Description

This dataset is the definitive version of the Urban Accessibility Indicator boundaries as at 1 January 2023, as defined by Stats NZ.

​

The Urban Accessibility Indicator (IUA) classificationprovides a consistent measure of urban accessibility in order to distinguish the degrees of rurality in New Zealand. IUA classifies the geographic accessibility of rural statistical area 1s (SA1s) and small urban areas according to their proximity, or degree of remoteness, to larger urban areas.

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The IUA methodology uses drive time from an SA1 address weighted centroid to the outside boundary of the nearest major, large, and medium urban area (from the UR classification), to classify rural SA1s and small urban areas to one of five categories of accessibility or remoteness. Small urban areas and rural settlements are assigned to a single category based on the classification of the majority of their SA1s. The Open Source Routing Machine service using the OpenStreetMap road network was used to calculate the drive times.

​

Rural SA1s and small urban areas are classified to the following categories:

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High urban accessibility:

0 to 15 minutes from major urban areas,

​

Medium urban accessibility:

15 to 25 minutes from major urban areas,

0 to 25 minutes from large urban areas,

0 to 15 minutes from medium urban areas,

​

Low urban accessibility:

25 to 60 minutes from major or large urban areas,

15 to 60 minutes from medium urban areas,

​

Remote:

60 to 120 minutes from major, large or medium urban areas,

​

Very remote:

more than 120 minutes from major, large or medium urban areas.

​

The urban accessibility indicator (IUA) classifies urban, rural, and water areas by type. The high and medium urban accessibility categories are considered to be peri-urban.

​

The indicators, with their codes in brackets, are:

urban areas – major urban area (111), large urban area (112), medium urban area (113),

​

small urban and rural areas – high urban accessibility (221), medium urban accessibility (222), low urban accessibility (223), remote (224), very remote (225),

​

water areas – inland water (331), inlet (332), oceanic (333).

​

A concordance between SA1 and Urban Accessibility can be found on Ariā.

​

Urban accessibility indicator is also available as an attribute on Statistical Area 1 Higher Geographies 2023 (generalised).

​

For more information refer to Urban accessibility – methodology and classification or the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

​

Generalised version

This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released territorial authority boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission, and maintained by Stats NZ (the custodian). This version contains 67 territorial authorities, excluding ‘area outside territorial authority’.

​

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. They are defined under schedule 2, part 1 of the Local Government Act 2002 as city councils or district councils. Territorial authorities were established in 1989 when 205 territorial local authorities were replaced by 75 territorial authorities. Territorial boundaries must coincide with meshblock boundaries under schedule 3, clause 17 of the Local Government Act 2002.

​

There are 67 territorial authorities: 12 city councils, 53 district councils, Auckland Council, and Chatham Islands Council. Five territorial authorities (Auckland Council, Nelson City Council, and the Gisborne, Tasman, and Marlborough district councils) also perform the functions of a regional council and are therefore unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council performs some regional council functions.

​

Some territorial authority boundaries are coterminous with regional council boundaries but there are several exceptions. An example is Taupo District, which is split between four regions, although most of its area falls within the Waikato Region. When defining the boundaries of territorial authorities, the Local Government Commission bases considerable weight on the ‘community of interest’.

​

Territorial authorities are defined at meshblock level. Statistical area 1, statistical area 2 and statistical area 3 geographies nest within territorial authority boundaries.

​

Maintenance

Local government boundaries may be changed through the Local Government Act 2002, an Act of Parliament, or a natural process such as the middle line of a river changing its natural course.

​

The Territorial Authority classification is released annually on 1 January to coincide with the update of meshblocks, but there are not always changes from the previous classification.

​

1989:

New Zealand’s local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by the Local Government Commission in 1989. Prior to reformation there were 205 territorial local authorities: 28 cities, 78 boroughs, 67 counties, 31 districts, and 1 town district, as well as a multitude of ad-hoc authorities such as pest control boards, drainage boards, catchment boards, and domain and reserve boards.

​

These were replaced by 74 territorial local authorities, 15 of which were cities and 58 districts. The exception was Chatham Islands County which retained its county status.

​

1990:

Invercargill was proclaimed a city.

​

1992:

Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council was abolished by a Local Government Amendment Act. Kaikoura District was transferred to the Canterbury Region. Nelson City, and Tasman and Marlborough districts became unitary authorities.

​

1995:

The Chatham Islands County was dissolved and reconstituted by a specific Act of Parliament as the "Chatham Islands Territory", with powers similar to those of territorial authorities and some functions similar to those of a regional council. This included the addition of territorial sea, a coastal buffer extending to twelve nautical miles from the coastline.

​

1995:

Tasman District boundary extended to align with the Tasman Region boundary at the 12-mile limit.

​

1998:

Not Applicable category changed to Area Outside Territorial Authority

​

2004:

Tauranga District changed to Tauranga City.2006:Banks Peninsula District merged into Christchurch City as a result of a Local Government Commission decision following a 2005 referendum.

​

2010:

Auckland Council established under the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009. Rodney District, North Shore City, Waitakere City, Auckland City, Manukau City, Papakura District, and Franklin District territorial councils, and the Auckland Regional Council, were abolished to become a unitary authority known as the Auckland Council. The area now consists of one city council (with statutory provision for three Māori councillors), 13 wards, and 21 local boards.

​

2015:

Wanganui District Council name changed to Whanganui District Council effective 1 December 2015.

​

2020:

Otorohanga District Council name amended to Ōtorohanga District Council.

​

Opotiki District Council name amended to Ōpōtiki District Council.

​

Both changes were under schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002 and effective 17 January 2020.

​

2021:

A local government reorganisation transferred land between two territorial authorities, Western Bay of Plenty District and Tauranga City. The changes took effect on 19 February 2021 under schedule 3 of the Local Government Act 2002. Refer to the New Zealand Gazette notice for further details.

​

Numbering

The territorial authority classification is a flat classification. Territorial authorities are given a unique three-digit code. The classification contains 68 categories (including ‘999 – Area Outside Territorial Authority’).

​

Generalised version

This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released territorial authority boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission, and maintained by Stats NZ (the custodian), clipped to the coastline. This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries. This version contains 67 territorial authorities, excluding ‘area outside territorial authority’.

​

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. They are defined under schedule 2, part 1 of the Local Government Act 2002 as city councils or district councils. Territorial authorities were established in 1989 when 205 territorial local authorities were replaced by 75 territorial authorities. Territorial boundaries must coincide with meshblock boundaries under schedule 3, clause 17 of the Local Government Act 2002.

​

There are 67 territorial authorities: 12 city councils, 53 district councils, Auckland Council, and Chatham Islands Council. Five territorial authorities (Auckland Council, Nelson City Council, and the Gisborne, Tasman, and Marlborough district councils) also perform the functions of a regional council and are therefore unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council performs some regional council functions.

​

Some territorial authority boundaries are coterminous with regional council boundaries but there are several exceptions. An example is Taupo District, which is split between four regions, although most of its area falls within the Waikato Region. When defining the boundaries of territorial authorities, the Local Government Commission bases considerable weight on the ‘community of interest’.

​

Territorial authorities are defined at meshblock level. Statistical area 1, statistical area 2 and statistical area 3 geographies nest within territorial authority boundaries.

​

Maintenance

Local government boundaries may be changed through the Local Government Act 2002, an Act of Parliament, or a natural process such as the middle line of a river changing its natural course.

​

The Territorial Authority classification is released annually on 1 January to coincide with the update of meshblocks, but there are not always changes from the previous classification.

​

1989:

New Zealand’s local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by the Local Government Commission in 1989. Prior to reformation there were 205 territorial local authorities: 28 cities, 78 boroughs, 67 counties, 31 districts, and 1 town district, as well as a multitude of ad-hoc authorities such as pest control boards, drainage boards, catchment boards, and domain and reserve boards.

​

These were replaced by 74 territorial local authorities, 15 of which were cities and 58 districts. The exception was Chatham Islands County which retained its county status.

​

1990:

Invercargill was proclaimed a city.

​

1992:

Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council was abolished by a Local Government Amendment Act. Kaikoura District was transferred to the Canterbury Region. Nelson City, and Tasman and Marlborough districts became unitary authorities.

​

1995:

The Chatham Islands County was dissolved and reconstituted by a specific Act of Parliament as the "Chatham Islands Territory", with powers similar to those of territorial authorities and some functions similar to those of a regional council. This included the addition of territorial sea, a coastal buffer extending to twelve nautical miles from the coastline.

​

1995:

Tasman District boundary extended to align with the Tasman Region boundary at the 12-mile limit.

​

1998:

Not Applicable category changed to Area Outside Territorial Authority

​

2004:

Tauranga District changed to Tauranga City.2006:Banks Peninsula District merged into Christchurch City as a result of a Local Government Commission decision following a 2005 referendum.

​

2010:

Auckland Council established under the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009. Rodney District, North Shore City, Waitakere City, Auckland City, Manukau City, Papakura District, and Franklin District territorial councils, and the Auckland Regional Council, were abolished to become a unitary authority known as the Auckland Council. The area now consists of one city council (with statutory provision for three Māori councillors), 13 wards, and 21 local boards.

​

2015:

Wanganui District Council name changed to Whanganui District Council effective 1 December 2015.

​

2020:

Otorohanga District Council name amended to Ōtorohanga District Council.

​

Opotiki District Council name amended to Ōpōtiki District Council.

​

Both changes were under schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002 and effective 17 January 2020.

​

2021:

A local government reorganisation transferred land between two territorial authorities, Western Bay of Plenty District and Tauranga City. The changes took effect on 19 February 2021 under schedule 3 of the Local Government Act 2002. Refer to the New Zealand Gazette notice for further details.

​

Numbering

The territorial authority classification is a flat classification. Territorial authorities are given a unique three-digit code. The classification contains 68 categories (including ‘999 – Area Outside Territorial Authority’).

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Clipped version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

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Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

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Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

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To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released Māori ward boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by the territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission, and maintained by Stats NZ (the custodian). In 2023, there are 34 Māori wards (excluding Area Outside Māori Ward) within 29 territorial authorities.

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The Local Electoral Act 2001 provides that Māori wards may be established in territorial authorities. If a territorial authority decides to have Māori wards, the wards within the council are known as general wards and Māori wards.

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The first Māori ward was established by representation review in 2019 and first appeared in the 2020 geographic boundaries released by Stats NZ. Changes to government legislation that allowed councils to decide on whether to include Māori wards in their arrangements resulted in 33 new Māori wards being added to the 2023 classification.

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Māori ward boundaries are defined at meshblock level.

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Numbering

Māori wards are numbered based on their corresponding territorial authority. Each Māori ward has a unique five-digit code. The first three digits represent the territorial authority that the Māori ward lies within. The following two digits are sequential and represent the number of Māori wards within a territorial authority.

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Territorial authorities that do not have Māori wards use “99” at the end of the Māori ward code, and the descriptor “Area Outside Māori Ward”.

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There is also a code of 99999 for those areas outside of territorial authority areas.

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Generalised version

This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released Māori ward boundaries as at 1 January 2023 as defined by the territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission, and maintained by Stats NZ (the custodian), clipped to the coastline. This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries. In 2023, there are 34 Māori wards (excluding Area Outside Māori Ward) within 29 territorial authorities.

​

The Local Electoral Act 2001 provides that Māori wards may be established in territorial authorities. If a territorial authority decides to have Māori wards, the wards within the council are known as general wards and Māori wards.

​

The first Māori ward was established by representation review in 2019 and first appeared in the 2020 geographic boundaries released by Stats NZ. Changes to government legislation that allowed councils to decide on whether to include Māori wards in their arrangements resulted in 33 new Māori wards being added to the 2023 classification.

​

Māori ward boundaries are defined at meshblock level.

​

Numbering

Māori wards are numbered based on their corresponding territorial authority. Each Māori ward has a unique five-digit code. The first three digits represent the territorial authority that the Māori ward lies within. The following two digits are sequential and represent the number of Māori wards within a territorial authority.

​

Territorial authorities that do not have Māori wards use “99” at the end of the Māori ward code, and the descriptor “Area Outside Māori Ward”.

​

There is also a code of 99999 for those areas outside of territorial authority areas.

​

Clipped version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā