Waikuku Beach is a small settlement on the coast of the Canterbury region of New Zealand, about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the settlement of Waikuku.
Waikuku Beach
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Rural settlement
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Waikuku beach sign
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| Coordinates: 43°17′13″S 172°42′58″E / 43.287°S 172.716°E / -43.287; 172.716 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Territorial authority | Waimakariri District |
| Ward | Kaiapoi-Woodend Ward |
| Community | Woodend-Sefton Community |
| Electorates |
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| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Waimakariri District Council |
| • Regional council | Environment Canterbury |
| • Mayor of Waimakariri | Dan Gordon |
| • Waimakariri MP | Matthew Doocey |
| • Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.52 km2 (0.59 sq mi) |
| Population
(June 2023)[2]
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| • Total | 1,130 |
| • Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode |
7402
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| Area code | 03 |
The sandy beach is popular with surfers and swimmers, and the large estuary of the Ashley River hosts many species of birds.[3] The Waikuku beach has been rated as one of the ten best to learn to surf at.[4]
Waikuku Beach is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area and covers 1.52 km2 (0.59 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 1,130 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 743 people per km2. Waikuku Beach is part of the larger Waikuku statistical area.[5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 858 | — |
| 2013 | 900 | +0.69% |
| 2018 | 912 | +0.27% |
| Source: [6] | ||
Before the 2023 census, the town had a smaller boundary, covering 1.30 km2 (0.50 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Waikuku Beach had a population of 912 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 12 people (1.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 54 people (6.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 342 households, comprising 468 males and 444 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female, with 168 people (18.4%) aged under 15 years, 141 (15.5%) aged 15 to 29, 477 (52.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 126 (13.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.4% European/Pākehā, 13.2% Māori, 1.3% Pasifika, 1.0% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.2% had no religion, 28.3% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Muslim and 1.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 147 (19.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 144 (19.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 141 people (19.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 402 (54.0%) people were employed full-time, 132 (17.7%) were part-time, and 18 (2.4%) were unemployed.[6]