Springfield (Māori: Tawera), called Kowai Pass until 1880, is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. Springfield is situated in the foothills of the Southern Alps as the most westerly town of the Canterbury Plains. Springfield is 65 kilometres (40 mi) west of Christchurch on State Highway 73 (The Great Alpine Highway), 9.7 kilometres (6.0 mi) northwest of Sheffield and 22.7 kilometres (14.1 mi) from Darfield. It is located close to Porters Ski Area, Mount Cheeseman, Broken River, Temple Basin and Craigieburn ski fields.^[3] Springfield has a long association with the Midland railway line.

The development of the town started around 1860. With the discovery of gold on the West Coast, Springfield saw more traffic.^[4] The Springfield Hotel was first built in 1862. Rooms were added to it on a number of occasions enlarging the hotel so that it had 40 rooms.^[4] The hotel was an important coaching stop on the route to the west coast. ^[5]

In the 1870s, water from the nearby Kowai River was used to develop one of the earliest stock water races in Canterbury.^[5]

The town has a Gothic Revival architecture church dedicated to Saint Peter, designed by the architect Cyril Mountfort. It was the birthplace of Rewi Alley, notable for his work in China in the mid 20th century. There is an extensive memorial dedicated to him, located in a small reserve off the main road. It includes a large stone carving and a number of panels giving details of his life.

On 15 July 2007, a statue of a giant pink doughnut was erected to promote the upcoming movie, The Simpsons Movie. It was subsequently set alight and destroyed by an arsonist on 25 September 2009. A tyre painted pink was used as a substitute until it was replaced with a concrete version unveiled on 1 July 2012.^[6][7]

In 2016, the start of a new subdivision called Alpine View Estate began. A new road, called Princes Street was built next to Queen and King St with a link to Victoria St.

In 2019, the town gained unwanted attention in the national and international media when the Springfield Store and Café was dubbed the rudest café in New Zealand and the police visited offering customer service advice.^[8][9][10] It is now under new ownership.^[11][12]

On 29 May 2021, most of the township of Springfield was evacuated due to flooding from continuous heavy rain. Bishops Gully, in the centre of the town overflowed as well as the water race. A number of properties were flooded.^[13][14]

Springfield is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers 1.89 km² (0.73 sq mi).^[1] It had an estimated population of 370 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 196 people per km². It is part of the statistical area of Torlesse.

Springfield had a population of 318 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 84 people (35.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 105 people (49.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 120 households, comprising 171 males and 147 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.16 males per female, with 78 people (24.5%) aged under 15 years, 48 (15.1%) aged 15 to 29, 150 (47.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 39 (12.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 91.5% European/Pākehā, 15.1% Māori, 0.9% Pasifika, 1.9% Asian, and 1.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 63.2% had no religion, 29.2% were Christian and 1.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 39 (16.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 45 (18.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 33 people (13.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 123 (51.2%) people were employed full-time, 45 (18.8%) were part-time, and 9 (3.8%) were unemployed.^[17]

Springfield is part of the Selwyn electorate.^[20] The Selwyn District Council provides local government services for Springfield.^[21]

Springfield School is a contributing primary school catering for years 1 to 6.^[22] It had a roll of 41 as of February 2024.^[23] The school opened in 1872.^[24]

There are a number of accounts where the name Springfield may have come. It may have been named after an American Civil War battlefield by J Bell in 1868. It might have also been named in a similar style to Darfield and Sheffield and the final suggestion is that the post office was named in 1870 after a spring in the field beside the local hotel.^[25]

• The "Springfield Doughnut"
• Rewi Alley memorial
• Springfield Railway Station