Prestons, New Zealand Explained

Prestons
City1:Christchurch
Council:Christchurch City Council
Ward:Burwood
Community Board:Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood
Coordinates:-43.474°N 172.669°W
Area:407
Map:

Prestons is a suburb on the northeastern side of Christchurch city.

The suburb is named for Thomas Herbert Preston (1824–1884), a local resident and chair of the Avon Road Board. It was first planned as a residential suburb in 2007,[1] and constructed in the 2010s.[2]

The suburb has a main exit to Preston Road at the north, and a minor one to the east. An exit to the south to reduce congestion has been delayed by disagreements over the intersection design.[3] The new exit was still delayed in May 2023.[4]

Demographics

Prestons covers 4.07km2.[5] It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.

Before the 2023 census, the suburb had a smaller boundary, covering 3.98km2.[5] Using that boundary, Prestons had a population of 3,048 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,811 people (1186.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,886 people (1781.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,137 households, comprising 1,485 males and 1,566 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 39.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 624 people (20.5%) aged under 15 years, 462 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,428 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 534 (17.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 87.7% European/Pākehā, 8.1% Māori, 1.8% Pasifika, 8.8% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 19.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.4% had no religion, 39.2% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.6% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 591 (24.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 306 (12.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $43,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 627 people (25.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,317 (54.3%) people were employed full-time, 378 (15.6%) were part-time, and 51 (2.1%) were unemployed.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Christchurch Place Names: N - Z : Prestons . 28–30 . Christchurch City Libraries . February 2016.
  2. Community Commodified: The Prestons Road Residential Subdivision. Lincoln Planning Review. 10.34900/lpr.v2i2.528. Peter. Chamberlain. 1 August 2010.
  3. News: Subdivision residents hemmed in after dispute over tiny stretch of road. Stuff. 21 December 2022. Steven. Walton.
  4. News: Thousands of residents still using the one exit out of subdivision despite assurances. The Press. 25 May 2023. Sinead. Gill.
  5. Web site: ArcGIS Web Application. 25 April 2024. statsnz.maps.arcgis.com.