Richmond, Tasman

Richmond (Māori: Waimea) is a town and the seat of the Tasman District Council in New Zealand. It lies 13 km south of Nelson in the South Island, close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay. The town, first settled by Europeans in 1842, was named in 1854 after the town of Richmond on Thames near London. The town has an estimated population of as of.

Although most of Richmond lies outside the boundaries of Nelson City and the town is considered a separate urban area, Richmond is part of the wider Nelson metropolitan area along with nearby Brightwater, Hope, Māpua and Wakefield. The two unitary authorities (Nelson and Tasman) co-operate for tourism-marketing purposes via "Latitude Nelson". Richmond forms part of the Nelson parliamentary electorate.

History
During the period 1853 to 1876, the Richmond urban area was administered as part of Nelson Province. With the Abolition of Provinces Act 1876, Waimea County was created, effective in January 1877. Richmond was included in the Waimea County boundaries, and served as the administrative headquarters of the county.

In 1891, the administrative authority for the urban area of Richmond was transferred from Waimea County to the Richmond Borough Council.

Richmond Borough existed until the 1989 local government reforms, when the Tasman District was formed through the amalgamation of the Richmond Borough, Golden Bay County, Murchison County and Waimea County administrative areas.

Demographics
The Richmond urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers 17.55 km2 and incorporates nine statistical areas. The Daelyn statistical area, covering 1.47 km2, is the sole area of Richmond within Nelson City; the remaining eight areas are within Tasman District. It had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Before the 2023 census, the town had a smaller boundary, covering 17.37 km2. Using that boundary, Richmond had a population of 15,279 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,896 people (14.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,859 people (23.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 5,739 households, comprising 7,338 males and 7,944 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female, with 2,805 people (18.4%) aged under 15 years, 2,442 (16.0%) aged 15 to 29, 6,456 (42.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 3,579 (23.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 93.0% European/Pākehā, 6.9% Māori, 1.2% Pasifika, 3.5% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 16.7, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.8% had no religion, 35.9% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.9% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,007 (16.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 2,664 (21.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 1,824 people (14.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 5,499 (44.1%) people were employed full-time, 1,968 (15.8%) were part-time, and 351 (2.8%) were unemployed.

Richmond Mall
Richmond Mall opened in 1973. It covers an area of 23,142 m2 and has 800 carparks and 70 stores, including Farmers, Pak'nSave and FreshChoice.

General public schools
Waimea College is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of  as of.

Waimea Intermediate is a co-educational state intermediate school for Year 7 to 8 students, with a roll of.

There are two state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: In addition, there is a primary school at Appleby
 * Richmond School, with a roll of
 * Henley School, with a roll of

Specialist schools
Salisbury School is a state school for Year 3 to 10 girls with complex learning needs, with a roll of. It was established on 1916, on a homestead established by William McRae in 1850.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia Te Matangi is a co-educational state Māori language immersion school for Year 1 to 13 students, with a roll of.

Roman Catholic schools
Garin College is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic school for Year 9 to 13 students, with a roll of.

St Paul's School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of.

Sport
Nelson Speedway is a motorcycle speedway, approximately 4 kilometres to the north on Lansdowne Road, off Lower Queen Street. The track races various types of cars, such as stock cars, superstocks, midgets, sprint cars, sidecars and saloons. It was a significant venue for motorcycle speedway events, including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship, (the first in 1988).