Kennington is a town located in the Southland region of New Zealand’s South Island. It is situated on the Waihopai River on the eastern outskirts of the city of Invercargill. Other nearby settlements include Longbush, Myross Bush, Motu Rimu, and Woodlands.

Kennington
Rural settlement
Coordinates: 46°24′S 168°27′E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Southland
Territorial authority	Invercargill
Government
• Territorial Authority	Invercargill City Council
• Regional council	Southland Regional Council
Area [1]
• Total	1.16 km2 (0.45 sq mi)
Population  (2018 Census)[2]
• Total	114
• Density	98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

State Highway 1 runs through the town, as does the Main South Line portion of the South Island Main Trunk Railway. Passenger trains have not operated since the cancellation of the Southerner on 10 February 2002, though it was an express service and local passenger trains that stopped in Kennington had ceased to operate decades earlier.

In the early 2000s (decade), a proposal to build a large incinerator in Kennington generated controversy and was ultimately abandoned. Some residents feared pollution from the incinerator would cause degradation in the quality of the town's air and bore and rain water.[3]

Demographics

Kennington is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand, and covers 1.16 km² (0.45 sq mi).[1] It is part of the Kennington-Tisbury statistical area.[4]

Kennington had a population of 114 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 9 people (−7.3%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged since the 2006 census. There were 45 households. There were 60 males and 54 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female. The median age was 33.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 27 people (23.7%) aged under 15 years, 24 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 54 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 9 (7.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.7% European/Pākehā, 23.7% Māori, 2.6% Pacific peoples, and 2.6% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 60.5% had no religion, and 28.9% were Christian.

Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (6.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 18 (20.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 51 (58.6%) people were employed full-time, 15 (17.2%) were part-time, and 6 (6.9%) were unemployed.[2]

References