Castlecliff

Suburb in Whanganui, New Zealand

Castlecliff
Suburb
A café in Castlecliff
Interactive map of Castlecliff
Coordinates: 39°56′35″S 174°59′37″E / 39.943031°S 174.993740°E / -39.943031; 174.993740
Country	New Zealand
City	Whanganui
Local authority	Whanganui District Council
Area
• Land	865 ha (2,140 acres)
Population  (June 2025)
• Total	4,260
• Density	492/km2 (1,280/sq mi)

Kai Iwi	Westmere	Tawhero
	Castlecliff	Gonville
(South Taranaki Bight)	(Whanganui River mouth)

Castlecliff is a suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. The name was given by the Harbour Board, on the suggestion of the future Prime Minister, John Ballance, when it established the township on what were described as "barren sandhills" in 1882. Many of the streets were named after Harbour Board members. The northern harbour breakwater extended 900 ft (270 m) by 1885. The freezing works was built in 1891.

Demographics

Castlecliff covers 8.65 km² (3.34 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 4,260 as of June 2025, with a population density of 492 people per km².

Castlecliff had a population of 4,026 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 312 people (8.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 762 people (23.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,094 males, 1,920 females, and 12 people of other genders in 1,479 dwellings. 3.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 858 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 792 (19.7%) aged 15 to 29, 1,719 (42.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 657 (16.3%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.6% European (Pākehā); 43.0% Māori; 6.3% Pasifika; 3.4% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.3%, Māori by 12.5%, Samoan by 0.8%, and other languages by 5.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 23.9% Christian, 0.6% Hindu, 0.1% Islam, 6.3% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.9% New Age, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.0%, and 8.9% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 387 (12.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,845 (58.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 942 (29.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 111 people (3.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,350 (42.6%) full-time, 423 (13.4%) part-time, and 162 (5.1%) unemployed.

Education

Castlecliff School is a state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 153. It opened in 1892.

Aranui School is another state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 62. It opened in 1965.

Te Kura o Kokohuia is a Year 1 to 8 state primary school, with a roll of 230. It was the first bilingual school in Whanganui. It was in existence in 1991.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho is a Māori language immersion primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 178. It started in 1996 as a satellite school of Te Kura o Kokohuia.

All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of July 2026.

See also

Castlecliff Branch railway opened 1885

Castlecliff tramway opened 1912

References