Ashburton District is a territorial authority district in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It encompasses the town of Ashburton, a number of small towns and settlements and the surrounding rural area, roughly coterminous with Mid Canterbury. The district had a population of 36,800 as of June 2023.^[2]

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Ashburton District
Territorial authority district
Coordinates: 43°34′48″S 171°20′53″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury
Wards	Western Eastern Ashburton
Formed	1989
Seat	Ashburton
Government
• Mayor	Neil Brown
• Territorial authority	Ashburton District Council
Area [1]
• Total	6,181.45 km2 (2,386.67 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Total	36,800
• Density	6.0/km2 (15/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)	Map of postcodes
Website	www.ashburtondc.govt.nz

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Ashburton District extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Southern Alps, and from the Rangitata River to the Rakaia River, including the towns of Methven, Mount Somers, and Rakaia. The Hakatere Conservation Park covers a large area of the lower mountains, including Mount Hutt skifield, popular tramping area Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and the Ashburton Lakes.

Ashburton District covers 6,181.45 km² (2,386.67 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 36,800 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 6.0 people per km².

Ashburton District had a population of 34,746 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,323 people (4.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 3,705 people (11.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 15,456 dwellings. The median age was 40.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 6,714 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 5,724 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,447 (44.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,861 (19.7%) aged 65 or older.^[4]

Ethnicities were 81.1% European/Pākehā, 8.6% Māori, 6.0% Pasifika, 9.4% Asian, 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders, and 1.3% other. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.^[4]

Ashburton District had a population of 33,423 at the 2018 New Zealand census. There were 12,996 households, comprising 17,016 males and 16,407 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female.

The percentage of people born overseas was 18.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 44.7% had no religion, 45.4% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 3,477 (13.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 6,243 (23.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 4,071 people (15.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 14,211 (53.4%) people were employed full-time, 4,281 (16.1%) were part-time, and 633 (2.4%) were unemployed.^[3]

Ashburton District Council administers the district. The council consists of a mayor and nine councillors. The councillors are elected from three wards: five from the Ashburton ward, and two each from the Eastern and Western wards.