Whare Flat is a locality some 15 km to the northwest of Dunedin city centre, in the South Island of New Zealand.[1] It is located at a widening of the Silver Stream's valley amid the foothills of the Silverpeaks.[2]

Whare Flat
Rural locality
Silverstream Whare Flat postcard
Coordinates: 45°49′00″S 170°24′30″E
Country	New Zealand
Island	South Island
Region	Otago
Territorial authority	Dunedin
Government
• Regional council	Otago Regional Council
• Territorial authority	Dunedin City Council
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode	9092
Area code	03
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Whare Flat is the location of a scout camp, Camp Waiora,[3] and plays host annually to the Whare Flat Folk Festival,[4] the southern South Island's biggest annual folk music event, which is held over the New Year holiday.

The "whare" of Whare Flat's name was not a traditional Māori structure, but was actually a shepherd's hut.[5]

Demographics

Whare Flat is part of the Taieri statistical area, which covers 150.36 km² (58.05 sq mi) to the west, north and northeast of Mosgiel.[6] The statistical area had an estimated population of 1,600 as of June 2021,[7] with a population density of 11 people per km².

Taieri had a population of 1,506 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 96 people (6.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 336 people (28.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 546 households. There were 750 males and 756 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 46.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 276 people (18.3%) aged under 15 years, 204 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 729 (48.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 294 (19.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 95.6% European/Pākehā, 5.4% Māori, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 1.2% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 11.2%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.2% had no religion, 38.0% were Christian, 0.4% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 282 (22.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 216 (17.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $38,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 321 people (26.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 627 (51.0%) people were employed full-time, 243 (19.8%) were part-time, and 24 (2.0%) were unemployed.[8]

References