Paroa, West Coast
Settlement in the South Island of New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paroa is a settlement on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, just south of Greymouth. State Highway 6 and the Hokitika Branch railway both run through Paroa.[6][7] This railway was originally a bush tramway that opened to Paroa from Greymouth in 1867 and was extended to Kumara in 1877.[8] It was converted into a railway in 1893, and this time, ran from Paroa to Hokitika rather than Kumara.[9]
Paroa | |
|---|---|
Paroa Trestle on the old Hokitika Branch line | |
 Interactive map of Paroa | |
| Coordinates: 42°30′39″S 171°10′9″E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | West Coast |
| District | Grey District |
| Ward | Southern |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Grey District Council |
| • Regional council | West Coast Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Grey | Tania Gibson[1] |
| • West Coast-Tasman MP | Maureen Pugh[2] |
| • Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.91 km2 (1.51 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 census)[5] | |
• Total | 867 |
| • Density | 222/km2 (574/sq mi) |
| Local iwi | Ngāi Tahu |
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "broad fortified village" for Pāroa.[10]
Shantytown, to the south-east of Paroa, is a recreation of a typical 1880s West Coast gold mining town, built in 1971 and operating as a commercial tourist attraction.[11]
Demographics
Paroa covers 3.91 km2 (1.51 sq mi).[4] It is part of the larger Rutherglen-Camerons statistical area.[12]
Paroa had a population of 867 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 102 people (13.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 198 people (29.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 435 males, 435 females, and 3 people of other genders in 327 dwellings.[14] 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 153 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 123 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 420 (48.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 168 (19.4%) aged 65 or older.[5]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 92.0% European (Pākehā), 8.7% Māori, 1.4% Pasifika, 3.8% Asian, and 5.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.3%, Māori by 0.7%, and other languages by 4.8%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 11.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.[5]
Religious affiliations were 39.1% Christian, 0.3% Hindu, and 0.3% Islam. People who answered that they had no religion were 53.3%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.[5]
Of those at least 15 years old, 105 (14.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 456 (63.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 156 (21.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 105 people (14.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 408 (57.1%) full-time, 96 (13.4%) part-time, and 3 (0.4%) unemployed.[5]
Rutherglen-Camerons statistical area
Rutherglen-Camerons statistical area, which also includes Rutherglen, Gladstone and Camerons, covers 12.12 km2 (4.68 sq mi).[15] It had an estimated population of 1,510 as of June 2025,[16] with a population density of 125 people per km2.
Rutherglen-Camerons had a population of 1,458 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 126 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 261 people (21.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 741 males, 714 females, and 3 people of other genders in 567 dwellings.[19] 2.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 45.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 249 people (17.1%) aged under 15 years, 207 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 711 (48.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 291 (20.0%) aged 65 or older.[17]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 93.2% European (Pākehā), 9.1% Māori, 1.0% Pasifika, 3.1% Asian, and 4.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.6%, Māori by 0.8%, and other languages by 4.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.[17]
Religious affiliations were 36.2% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 0.2% New Age, and 0.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.8%, and 6.8% of people did not answer the census question.[17]
Of those at least 15 years old, 165 (13.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 768 (63.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 279 (23.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $47,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 171 people (14.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 678 (56.1%) full-time, 150 (12.4%) part-time, and 12 (1.0%) unemployed.[17]
Education
Climate
| Climate data for Paroa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 222 (8.7) |
149 (5.9) |
210 (8.3) |
237 (9.3) |
237 (9.3) |
203 (8.0) |
211 (8.3) |
209 (8.2) |
236 (9.3) |
248 (9.8) |
241 (9.5) |
234 (9.2) |
2,637 (103.8) |
| Source: The Weather Network [23] | |||||||||||||