Statistics

Tairawhiti District Health covers the same area as the Gisborne District Local and Territorial authorities. Covering an area of 8,351 square kilometres it makes up 3 percent of New Zealand’s land area.

In the 2006 census, Tairawhiti had a resident population of 44,499 or 1.1 percent of the national population. With a population density of 5.3 people square kilometre it is one the North Island’s the most remote and sparely populated districts.

Between the 2001 and 2006 censuses, Tairawhiti’s population increased by 1.2 percent or 525 people, and Statistics New Zealand are projecting an estimated annual growth of 0.2 percent, or 100 people per year until 2011. While Gisborne City increased by 2.2 percent between 2001 and 2006, an increase of 660 people to 31,260, Gisborne’s rural district decreased by 1.2 percent to 13,239, which is just under 30 percent of the total population.

In the 2006 census, 44 percent of Tairawhiti residents said they identified with the Maori ethnic group, the highest proportion for any region and more than three times higher than the national average of one in seven (14.0 percent). Tairawhiti had the lowest proportion of people identifying with European ethnic groupings (51 percent compared with the national average of 65 percent). The district also had 2.9% Pacific People and 1.7% identifying with the Asian ethnic groupings.

Despite having one of the oldest Maori populations, overall TDH has one of the youngest DHB populations in New Zealand, being one of the two DHB’s with a median age of 33.8 years, which is two years younger than the national average.

While over 26 percent of residents in Tairawhiti are aged less than 15 years, (nationally 21.5 percent) only 61.8 percent of Tairawhiti’s population were aged between 15 and 64 years, the lowest proportion in New Zealand. There has been little change in the proportion of residents aged 65 years and remains at 12 percent of the population, although by 2011 this is expected to increase to 13 percent of the total population.

The median age for Maori in Tairawhiti is 23 years and 9 months - the highest nationally for this ethnic group. Proportionally, Tairawhiti has one of the oldest Maori populations with Maori aged 65 years and over, at 5.9 percent, compared with 4.1 percent nationally. 34.4 percent of Tairawhiti Maori are under 15 years which is below the national average of 35.4%.

The distribution of wealth within Tairawhiti is unequal, Maori are over-represented in poorer socio-economic groups. This remains the most important determinant of health for Tairawhiti and its continuing inequity poses the biggest challenge in improving health and reducing inequality.

The proportion of people within the district receiving unemployment benefits has dramatically fallen over the last few years within Tairawhiti to under 1.4% of the working age population receiving unemployment benefit in September 2007, and 54 percent of these having on been on any benefit for less than a year. Maori are still disproportionally affected with 84 percent of those receiving benefit classifying themselves as Maori.

In September 2007, the Tairawhiti District had 2.6 percent of its working aged population on a sickness benefit, 11 percent of whom have been receiving a benefit for 10 years or more. Maori are again over represented at 62 percent of all sickness benefit recipients.

One-parent families comprised 27.3 percent of all Tairawhiti families, the highest percentage for any region, with the national average being 18.1 percent. At 38.4 percent, Tairawhiti had the lowest proportion of adults living in legally married partnerships, nationally 43.7 percent.

Tairawhiti remains the region with the lowest home ownership rate at 57.5 percent. It also has the highest percentage of households that are renting their dwellings with 35.5 percent rented, compared with 31.1 percent nationally.

The region is experiencing a growth in house prices, with house prices having doubled between September 2001 and September 2006. The increase in house prices will impact most on the poorer parts of the community, raising rental costs and limiting access to home ownership. However, the growth in the sector and the influx of buyers from outside the area has the potential to increase the jobs in the building sector.

While Tairawhiti had the highest proportion of residents with no access to telecommunication systems at 4.4 percent, this is half the rate it was in 2001, more than double the national average of 2.0 percent. At 46.6 percent, Tairawhiti had the lowest proportion of households with access to the Internet but this is double the rate it was in 2001.