Timaru Central

Suburb in Timaru, New Zealand

Timaru Central
Suburb
Stafford Street
Interactive map of Timaru Central
Coordinates: 44°23′53″S 171°15′07″E / 44.398°S 171.252°E / -44.398; 171.252
Country	New Zealand
City	Timaru
Local authority	Timaru District Council
Electoral ward	Timaru
Area
• Land	81 ha (200 acres)
Population  (June 2025)
• Total	310
• Density	380/km2 (990/sq mi)

Waimataitai		Port Timaru
Seaview	Timaru Central
	Parkside

Timaru Central is the central business district of Timaru, in the South Canterbury area and Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island.

Demographics

Timaru Central covers 0.81 km² (0.31 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 310 as of June 2025, with a population density of 383 people per km².

Timaru Central had a population of 285 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 60 people (−17.4%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 81 people (−22.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 168 males and 114 females in 147 dwellings. 4.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 33 people (11.6%) aged under 15 years, 63 (22.1%) aged 15 to 29, 150 (52.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 39 (13.7%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 70.5% European (Pākehā); 18.9% Māori; 13.7% Pasifika; 10.5% Asian; 1.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.8%, Māori by 2.1%, Samoan by 5.3%, and other languages by 12.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 23.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.5% Christian, 2.1% Hindu, 1.1% New Age, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.8%, and 7.4% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (8.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 144 (57.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 81 (32.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $47,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people (6.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 153 (60.7%) full-time, 30 (11.9%) part-time, and 12 (4.8%) unemployed.

Education

Sacred Heart School is a Catholic state-integrated primary school for years 1 to 10 with a roll of 227 as of July 2026. It opened in 1882 as Marist Brothers School, and became Sacred Heart School in the 1980s after a merger with Sacred Heart Girls' School (established 1879).

References