Fordlands Explained

Fordlands
City1:Rotorua
Ward:Te Ipu Wai Auraki General Ward
Council:Rotorua Lakes Council
Coordinates:-38.145°N 176.224°W
Area:99
Map:

Fordlands is a western suburb of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island.

The area is named for Harry Ford, whose model dairy farm became the suburb.[1]

It was described in 2017 as the most deprived suburb in New Zealand.[2] The suburb was an inspiration for the novel Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff.[3]

Demographics

Fordlands covers 0.99km2[4] and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Fordlands had a population of 2,460 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 342 people (16.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 153 people (6.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 723 households, comprising 1,164 males and 1,296 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.9 males per female. The median age was 28.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 711 people (28.9%) aged under 15 years, 570 (23.2%) aged 15 to 29, 969 (39.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 210 (8.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 34.4% European/Pākehā, 67.8% Māori, 14.1% Pacific peoples, 6.2% Asian, and 1.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 10.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 49.8% had no religion, 35.7% were Christian, 7.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 0.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 162 (9.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 417 (23.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $19,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 63 people (3.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 726 (41.5%) people were employed full-time, 234 (13.4%) were part-time, and 243 (13.9%) were unemployed.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rotorua Central Area: Build Heritage Study. Rotorua Lakes Council. 1. 20 December 2020.
  2. News: The locals proud to call Fordlands home. Rotorua Daily Post. 10 November 2017. Ben. Flood.
  3. News: Welcome to Fordlands, the Rotorua suburb that inspired Once Were Warriors. Stuff. 4 November 2018. Donna-Lee. Biddle.
  4. Web site: ArcGIS Web Application. 27 December 2022. statsnz.maps.arcgis.com.