Long Term Community Plan 2012-2022 - Hurunui District Council

Hurunui Community Long Term Plan 2012 - 2022
Population
The population of the Hurunui District is predicted to grow
steadily over the next 20 years, although the population of some
towns in the district is dropping. The greatest proportion of
growth is occurring in the Amberley and Hanmer Springs wards.
Census data reveals that the Hurunui District has an aging
population, and shows a steeper rise than that predicted for
the country as a whole in the proportion of people aged 65
and over. Ethnic diversity is lower than that of New Zealand
as a whole, but there has been a marked increase in overseas
migrants, especially in the 30-50 year old age group (indicating
that they have come to work in the District).
Recreation, Visitor Attractions, Parks
and Reserves
The Hurunui is one of the few places in New Zealand’s South
Island that in less than two hours traveling time, you can drive
from the Lewis Pass (the northern most point of the Southern
Alps) with its fresh mountain air, spectacular scenery and lush
beech forests, to be sitting by the coast watching the waves
from the Pacific Ocean crash onto the Beach. Activities
include mountain walks, skiing, thermal bathing, river sports
and recreation, surfing, fishing and spectacular walks amidst
salt stone cliffs on our secluded beaches. The Waipara Valley is
renowned for some of New Zealand’s award winning wines, and
this area offers the opportunity to discover many fine vineyards.
The Hurunui has over 270 hectares of passive and recreation
reserves including the world famous Hanmer Springs Thermal
Pools and Spa. A significant recent addition is the former Queen
Mary Hospital grounds in Hanmer Springs. The main beaches
are at Leithfield, Amberley, Motunau and Gore Bay. The main
recreational lakes are Lake Sumner, Lake Taylor and Lake
Tennyson.
Main Industries
The Hurunui is continuing to experience growth and
diversification in terms of industry. Historically the district
has been primarily agriculture based, and this still continues
to be the single largest contributor to the Hurunui economy.
However, recent times have seen an expansion in both viticulture
and tourism. The growth of Hanmer Springs, the district icon,
as a tourist destination and the establishment of associated
infrastructure, is unprecedented in the tourism sector New
Zealand wide. The majority of the district’s working population
are employed in the “agriculture, forestry or fishing” industries
(as defined by Statistics NZ). The second largest employment
industry category is “accommodation, cafes and restaurants”,
followed by “health and community services”.
Agri/Viticulture
According to the 2007 Statistics New Zealand Agricultural
Production Census, the Hurunui District is home to 1,065 farms,
462 of which are sheep farms (total of 1,612,116 sheep), and
130 of which are beef cattle farms (with 119,141 cattle). 53,099
dairy cattle and 34,042 deer were counted in the Hurunui
District. The major horticultural activities in the District are
grape-growing (970 hectares), followed by olives (87 hectares)
and hazelnuts (25 hectares). There is a small vegetable harvest
in the Hurunui District (e.g. asparagus), and we produced 9,679
tonnes of barley, 3,852 tonnes of wheat, and 556 tonnes of field/
seed peas during the year ended 30 June 2007.
Development and Growth
The Hurunui District has a highly diversified economy based
around agriculture, viticulture and tourism. Both domestic
and international tourism have increased significantly over the
past decade in recognition of the wide array of recreational
opportunities within Hurunui from the coast to the mountains.
The Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa, Mt Lyford Ski Field
and Waipara wine producing area are recognised as anchor
destinations that have been a catalyst for business investment in
the District. Statistics New Zealand has estimated the Hurunui
population at 2026 to be 12,350 on a medium growth projection.
However because of a large absentee population owning
lifestyle and holiday homes, the Council is planning for growth
demands based upon trends in subdivision developments, and,
upon this basis, indications are that district wide growth will
be slower than what is indicated by the Statistics New Zealand
projections, but the Amberley and Hanmer Springs Wards are
more likely to be at the medium or even high growth rates.
Health
Indicators of health in the District include the Ministry of
Health’s “Deprivation Index”, which has been shown to correlate
with various health statistics (e.g. rates of cervical cancer,
mental health problems). This index assigns deprivation scores
(1 least deprived, to 10 most deprived) to each meshblock in
New Zealand. Meshblocks are geographical units defined by
Statistics New Zealand (containing a median of approximately
87 people in 2006). Scores are based on variables like income,
home ownership, unemployment, qualifications, household
crowding, transportation, and access to telecomunications.
These scores are assigned as measures of relative (rather than
absolute) deprivation. Thus, 10% of meshblocks in New Zealand
as a whole will always score 10. Scores for the Hurunui District
indicate much lower than average deprivation, with more than
75 % of meshblocks scoring in the top half (see graph on page 14).
Lower than average levels of income and education in Amberley,
and lower than average home ownership in Hanmer Springs
(due to holiday and workers’ accommodation) contributed to
higher than expected scores for these areas (both 7).
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