Napier South
Suburb of Napier, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Napier South is a suburb of the city of Napier, in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's eastern North Island.[3] For some purposes, such as postal, it extends to include the Napier Central statistical area (the central business district), which is covered here at Central Napier.
Napier South | |
|---|---|
McLean Park in Napier South | |
 Interactive map of Napier South | |
| Coordinates: 39.500°S 176.913°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Napier |
| Local authority | Napier City Council |
| Electoral ward | Nelson Park |
| Area | |
| • Land | 78 ha (190 acres) |
| Population (June 2025)[2] | |
• Total | 2,180 |
| • Density | 2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi) |
| Hospital Hill | Central Napier | |
| Marewa |
  Napier South  |
(Hawke Bay) |
| Meeanee | Te Awa |
History
The area that is now Napier South was originally part of the Whare-o-Maraenui swamp. Some reclamation of the area began in the mid-1870s, when Taradale Road was built, forming an embankment that trapped silt being brought down by the Tūtaekurī River, which emptied into Ahuriri Lagoon at that time.[4] Reclamation of the area began in earnest in 1900, and the first sections were offered for sale in 1908. Two areas were set aside as parks, the 20-acre Nelson Park and 10-acre McLean Park.[5] Napier South was governed by a town board from 1908 until 1915, when it merged with Napier borough.[6]
Demographics
The statistical area of Nelson Park, which corresponds to Napier South, covers 0.78 km2 (0.30 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 2,180 as of June 2025,[2] with a population density of 1,028 people per km2.
Nelson Park had a population of 2,172 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 9 people (−0.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 33 people (1.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,026 males, 1,137 females, and 9 people of other genders in 840 dwellings.[9] 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 41.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 426 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 387 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 975 (44.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 384 (17.7%) aged 65 or older.[7]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 82.3% European (Pākehā); 22.1% Māori; 3.6% Pasifika; 5.0% Asian; 2.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.8%, Māori by 3.7%, Samoan by 0.8%, and other languages by 8.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 18.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[7]
Religious affiliations were 27.3% Christian, 0.8% Hindu, 1.4% Islam, 2.2% Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 2.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.3%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question.[7]
Of those at least 15 years old, 366 (21.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 948 (54.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 435 (24.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 177 people (10.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 831 (47.6%) full-time, 267 (15.3%) part-time, and 54 (3.1%) unemployed.[7]
Education
Nelson Park School is a co-educational Year 0–6 state primary school situated on Kennedy Road/Jull Street with a roll of 345.[10] It opened as Napier West School in 1914.[11]
Napier Intermediate is a co-educational state intermediate school situated on Jull Street with a roll of 362.[12] It was founded in 1933.[13] It sits on what was originally going to be the second site of Napier Technical College, but this did not happen due to the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.[14]
Both schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of July 2026.[15]