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Last modified: 28 Oct 2022 3:03pm

Mum and two children riding a bike trail through some fields

Selwyn continues to be the fastest growing place in the country, with more new residents in Selwyn in the past year than anywhere else in New Zealand.

The latest population estimates from Statistics New Zealand show Waikirikiri Selwyn’s population grew by 3,600 new residents to 79,300, which was the largest total number of new residents of anywhere in the country. Selwyn also had the biggest proportional growth at 4.5%.

In the surrounding Council areas Waimakariri grew by 1,300 people (1.9%), Ashburton by 200 (0.6%) and Christchurch City’s population fell by 700 people (-0.2%) in the year to June 2022.

Selwyn’s population growth was backed by a continuing strong economy, with the most recent figures from economic analysts Infometrics showing Selwyn’s economy grew by 6.2% in the year to June against a national average of 0.9%.

The Selwyn’s economy was supported by strong dairy payouts, along with the ongoing housing boom, strong consumer spending and tourism bouncing back from the impacts of the pandemic with tourism spending growing by 10.7% in the year to June.

Mayor Sam Broughton says Selwyn is benefiting from a combination of great natural attractions, good planning and a strong community.

“When people are looking for an awesome place to bring up their whanau or grow a business Waikirikiri Selwyn ticks all the boxes.

“Since the pandemic we’ve seen people all around the world reassessing what lifestyle they want. Here in Aotearoa, in the past few years people have been moving away from the big cities and in Selwyn they’re seeing a beautiful region, with a young, welcoming population, great social amenities, a balance of rural and urban lifestyle, and a good economy.

“The challenge for us now is meeting the natural growing pains that come with increasing population. We’re working hard to keep those things that make Selwyn attractive, to protect what we have while embracing the change. That’s not always easy in a changing regulatory environment where we now have less say in some important areas, but our new Council is excited to get to work meeting that challenge.”

For more information on the latest population estimates visit Stats NZ website at https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/subnational-population-estimates-at-30-june-2022-provisional/.