Thames-Coromandel is still the oldest area in New Zealand, with more than one-third of people aged over 65 and more than three quarters of householders own their own home.

The details have been revealed with the release of Census 2023 data.

The average age of residents in the district climbed from 53.6 in 2018 to 55.2 in 2023. Those 34% aged over 65 had also climbed from 31% of the resident population in 2018.

New Zealand’s population had an average median age rising from 37.4 years in 2018 to 38.1 years in 2023.

Selwyn Foundation chief executive Denise Cosgrove said Thames-Coromandel District was at the forefront of the demographic shift, with 34% of the district’s population aged 65 and over, significantly higher than the national average of 16.5%.

“Our communities are ageing for the first time in history, with more people living longer and contributing to society; by 2028, 1 million New Zealanders will be aged 65 to 100 plus, increasing to 1.5 million by 2050,” Cosgrove said.

Auckland and Gisborne regions had the youngest median age, with 35.9 years and 36.7 years respectively in 2023, and West Coast and Tasman regions had the oldest median age, with 48.1 years and 46.8 years respectively.

More than 76% of households in Thames-Coromandel were owned by the occupants, or held in family trust in 2023, up from 73.4% in 2018.

In 2023, Auckland had the lowest rate of home ownership of all the regions, at 59.5%, which was largely unchanged from the 2018 rate of 59.4%.

Home ownership rates increased in all other regions, with the highest rate recorded by the Tasman region, at 77%, up from 75.6% in 2018.

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The areas with the highest home ownership rates were districts close to Christchurch and Wellington. In 2023, Waimakariri district had the highest home ownership rate at 82.2%, up from 80.5% in 2018. Fast-growing Selwyn district followed closely at 80.5%, a small increase from 79.5% in 2018.

Two-thirds of homes in New Zealand (1,175,217 or 66%) were owned by the occupants or held in a family trust, compared with 64.5% in 2018

While the population identifying with European ethnicities remained the largest at nearly 3.4 million (3,383,742 people, or 67.8 %), people identifying with Māori, Asian, Pacific peoples, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA) ethnicities increased their share of the total population.

The 2023 Census showed that people living in New Zealand identified with a wide range of ethnicities and spoke over 150 languages.

Additionally, while most of the population were born here, New Zealand was also home to people born in a diverse range of countries.

Just under 30% of New Zealanders were born overseas, and the census recorded well over 200 different birthplaces.

Key facts

Since the 2028 Census:

• New Zealand’s population grew by almost 300,000 people
• Three out of four New Zealanders live in the North Island
• Selwyn and Queenstown are still the fastest growing territorial authorities
• Almost 1 million New Zealanders were of Māori descent at the time of the 2023 Census
• The population continues to age
• The population continues to diversify