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

Fordlands
Map
Coordinates: 38°08′42″S 176°13′26″E / 38.145°S 176.224°E / -38.145; 176.224
CountryNew Zealand
CityRotorua
Local authorityRotorua Lakes Council
Electoral wardTe Ipu Wai Auraki General Ward
Area
 • Land99 ha (245 acres)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total2,810
Pukehangi Mangakakahi
Sunnybrook
Fordlands
Utuhina
Pomare Matipo Heights Hillcrest

The area is named for Harry Ford, whose model dairy farm became the suburb.[3]

It was described in 2017 as the most deprived suburb in New Zealand.[4] The suburb was an inspiration for the novel Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff.[5]

Demographics

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Fordlands covers 0.99 km2 (0.38 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 2,810 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 2,838 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20062,307—    
20132,118−1.21%
20182,460+3.04%
Source: [6]

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.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Rotorua Central Area: Build Heritage Study" (PDF). Rotorua Lakes Council. p. 1. Retrieved 20 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Flood, Ben (10 November 2017). "The locals proud to call Fordlands home". Rotorua Daily Post.
  5. ^ Biddle, Donna-Lee (4 November 2018). "Welcome to Fordlands, the Rotorua suburb that inspired Once Were Warriors". Stuff.
  6. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Fordlands (199700). 2018 Census place summary: Fordlands