Riversdale is a small town in the Southland region of New Zealand.

Riversdale is located between the Hokonui Hills and the Mataura River in the heart of the Waimea Plains, and is roughly equidistant between Gore and Lumsden on State Highway 94, the main road linking Gore with the tourist destination of Milford Sound.

In terms of climate, Riversdale has a temperate oceanic climate grading onto a continental climate more commonly found in Central Otago, with cold, wet winters and warm summers. The Riversdale region is one of the few areas in Southland prone to drought during the summer months.

Riversdale is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand. It covers 1.69 km² (0.65 sq mi),^[1] and had an estimated population of 440 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 260 people per km². It is part of the much larger Riversdale-Piano Flat statistical area.

Riversdale had a population of 408 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (2.3%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged since the 2006 census. There were 168 households, comprising 207 males and 201 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 78 people (19.1%) aged under 15 years, 63 (15.4%) aged 15 to 29, 174 (42.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 93 (22.8%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 89.0% European/Pākehā, 13.2% Māori, 1.5% Pasifika, 3.7% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 47.1% had no religion, 47.1% were Christian and 0.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (9.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 93 (28.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 60 people (18.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 165 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 51 (15.5%) were part-time, and 6 (1.8%) were unemployed.^[3]

In 1880, the Waimea Plains Railway was opened; it linked Gore on the Main South Line with Lumsden on the Kingston Branch and passed through Riversdale. The line was an important economic link for many years, and the original Kingston Flyers that gave their name to today's Kingston Flyer tourist train in Kingston passed through Riversdale on their way to Gore or Dunedin from the 1890s through to Easter 1957.

With the improvement of road transportation and changes in government regulations, the railway lost its profitability, and in 1971, most of the line was closed, including the section through Riversdale.^[6]

Riversdale School is a state full primary school for years 1 to 8^[7] with a roll of 135 as of February 2024.^[8] The school first opened in 1882.^[9]