Waddington, New Zealand

Waddington was named by and for William Waddington, who purchased part of the Homebush run that had previously been held by John Deans, and laid out the township in 1873.^[5][6]

Waddington has a close association with its neighbouring village Sheffield, which is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) further north-west along State Highway 73.^[7] The two villages share a community committee.^[8]

The two villages are located between Darfield and Springfield on both State Highway 73 and the Midland Line railway. The towns were settled in the 19th century by farmers attracted to the area because of its suitability for sheep grazing.

Waddington is situated at the intersection of three major roads (two of them popular tourist roads) that service the inland regions of Canterbury, including the Inland Scenic Route and the Great Alpine Highway / State Highway 73.

Waddington's cemetery was initially called the East Malvern Cemetery, but in 1880 the trust changed its name to Waddington Cemetery Trust. Its first burial was in 1882.^[9]

Waddington is also home to the St John Youth New Zealand South Island Training Camp.

Sheffield and Waddington are described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. They cover 1.63 km² (0.63 sq mi)^[3] and had an estimated population of 350 as of June 2025,^[10] with a population density of 215 people per km². They are part of the statistical area of Torlesse.^[11] Waddington covers 0.23 km² (0.089 sq mi).^[3]

Waddington had a population of 132 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (7.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 9 people (7.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 51 households, comprising 69 males and 63 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.1 males per female. The median age was 42.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 18 (13.6%) aged 15 to 29, 63 (47.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (18.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 93.2% European/Pākehā, 18.2% Māori, 2.3% Pasifika, 4.5% Asian, and 4.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 43.2% had no religion, and 36.4% were Christian.

Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (17.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (20.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $23,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 12 people (11.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 45 (42.9%) people were employed full-time, 24 (22.9%) were part-time, and 6 (5.7%) were unemployed.^[4]