Population

Population: 222,423 - 2006 Census
The region had a usually resident population of 222,423 people at the 2006 Census, the fifth-largest population in New Zealand. The region has a lower than average population density, 10.3 people per square kilometre, compared with 13.1 for New Zealand. Between the 2001 and 2006 censuses the population rose by 1.6%, or 3,477 people. There are two major urban areas in the region. Palmerston North, with an estimated resident population of 80,700, expanded as an educational centre and a supply centre for the surrounding rural hinterland. It became a city in 1930. The other major urban area is Wanganui, with an estimated resident population of 39,600 (June 2009 estimates). Other urban centres include Levin, Feilding, Dannevirke, Taumarunui, Foxton and Marton. Agriculture dominates land use in the region; there were 6,344 farm holdings on 30 June 1996, which was almost a tenth of all farm holdings in New Zealand. Farming occupied 72.5% of land in the region, which was much higher than the national average of 60.1%. City life does not dominate, as half the population lives outside a large urban area and more than a third live in small towns or rural areas. The dominance of agriculture, combined with the relatively small scale of most urban areas, gives a rural quality to the region, quite distinct from neighbouring Wellington. The region's rugged interior has also become one of the main training areas for New Zealand's defence force, which maintain three bases in the region.

Land area: 22,215 km2 (8,577.3 sq mi)

Main Centres: Wanganui, Palmerston North, Levin, Feilding and Taihape

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