Portland, New Zealand
Place in Northland Region, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portland is a locality on the western side of Whangārei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangārei is about 10 km to the north. Tikorangi is a hill to the west with a summit 161 m above sea level.[6][7]
Portland | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Portland | |
| Coordinates: 35°47′47″S 174°19′29″E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Northland Region |
| District | Whangarei District |
| Ward | Bream Bay Ward |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Whangarei District Council |
| • Regional council | Northland Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Whangārei | Ken Couper[1] |
| • Whangārei MP | Shane Reti[2] |
| • Te Tai Tokerau MP | Mariameno Kapa-Kingi[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.12 km2 (4.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 Census)[5] | |
• Total | 483 |
| • Density | 39.9/km2 (103/sq mi) |
The major industry is Portland Cement, which is New Zealand's largest cement manufacturer.[8] It has a specialised loading dock on the harbour,[9] and quarries Tikorangi for lime.[10]
History
The Portland Cement Works, which started on Limestone Island in Whangārei Harbour in 1885, moved to Portland in 1916.[11][12] The Cement works is now owned by Golden Bay Cement, a division of Fletcher Building.
Dominion Cement built a mile-long pier of disused tram rails in 1913.[13]
The town had a railway station on the North Auckland Line from 1918 to 1975.[14]
Demographics
Portland is in two SA1 statistical areas which cover 12.12 km2 (4.68 sq mi).[4] The SA1 areas are part of the larger Otaika-Portland statistical area.[4]
Portland had a population of 483 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 42 people (9.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 150 people (45.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 246 males and 237 females in 141 dwellings.[16] 3.1% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 99 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 102 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 216 (44.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 60 (12.4%) aged 65 or older.[5]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 80.7% European (Pākehā), 42.9% Māori, 5.6% Pasifika, 0.6% Asian, and 1.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.7%, Māori language by 7.5%, and other languages by 3.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 9.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 27.3% Christian, 3.1% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% New Age, 0.6% Jewish, and 0.6% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.7%, and 4.3% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 42 (10.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 225 (58.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 99 (25.8%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 30 people (7.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 183 (47.7%) people were employed full-time, 57 (14.8%) were part-time, and 15 (3.9%) were unemployed.[5]