Buller District

Buller District is one of 53 districts of New Zealand, and is within the West Coast Region. It covers Westport, Karamea, Reefton and Inangahua Junction.

Buller District's overall land area is 7943.35 km2. The district is administered by the Buller District Council with the seat in Westport, in which 45% of the district's population live.

History
It is understood by the carbon dating of Umu (ovens) that the Maori people settled in this region some 700 years ago.

The district takes its name from the Buller River, itself named for Charles Buller, a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK) and director of the New Zealand Company, a UK-based company established in the early 19th century with a royal charter supporting colonisation efforts of New Zealand.

During the period 1853 to 1876, the current area of Buller District was administered as part of Nelson Province. With the Abolition of Provinces Act 1876, much of the current area of Buller District was administered in the newly created (January 1877) bodies of Buller County and Inangahua County.

The Buller District was formed under the 1989 local government reforms through the amalgamation of Buller County, Inangahua County and the Westport Borough Councils.

Population
Buller District covers 7943.35 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Buller District had a population of 10,446 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 855 people (8.9%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 27 people (−0.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 6,249 dwellings. The median age was 52.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,539 people (14.7%) aged under 15 years, 1,197 (11.5%) aged 15 to 29, 4,959 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 2,754 (26.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 90.6% European/Pākehā, 13.0% Māori, 1.7% Pasifika, 3.3% Asian, 0.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders, and 2.2% other. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Buller District had a population of 9,591 at the 2018 New Zealand census. There were 4,398 households, comprising 4,920 males and 4,674 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female.

The percentage of people born overseas was 10.7, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.0% had no religion, 31.1% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 750 (9.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,400 (30.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 783 people (9.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,231 (40.4%) people were employed full-time, 1,284 (16.0%) were part-time, and 300 (3.7%) were unemployed.