Nelson South
Suburb
Fairfield House
Interactive map of Nelson South
Coordinates: 41°17′15″S 173°16′30″E / 41.28750°S 173.27500°E / -41.28750; 173.27500
Country	New Zealand
Region	Nelson
Ward	Central Ward Whakatū Māori Ward
Electorates	Nelson Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Nelson City Council
• Nelson City Mayor	Nick Smith[1]
• Nelson MP	Rachel Boyack[2]
• Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris[3]
Area [4]
• Total	1.21 km2 (0.47 sq mi)
Population  (June 2025)[5]
• Total	2,610
• Density	2,160/km2 (5,590/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (NZST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode	7010
Area code	03

Nelson South is an inner suburb of Nelson, New Zealand. It lies to the southwest of Nelson city centre, between it and Bishopdale, close to the foot of The Grampians. The main inland route to Stoke, New Zealand, Waimea Road, is Nelson South's main road.

The suburb includes both Nelson Hospital and Nelson College.^[6]

It also has six public reserves: Fairfield Park, the Melrose Gardens, Ronaki Reserve, Waimea North Reserve, Wellington Reserve and Wigzell Park.^[7]

Demographics

The Rutherford statistical area, which corresponds to the northern part of Nelson South, covers 1.21 km² (0.47 sq mi).^[4] It had an estimated population of 2,610 as of June 2025,^[5] with a population density of 2,157 people per km².

Rutherford had a population of 2,547 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 36 people (−1.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 57 people (2.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,245 males, 1,290 females, and 15 people of other genders in 1,017 dwellings.^[10] 4.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 420 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 411 (16.1%) aged 15 to 29, 1,221 (47.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 495 (19.4%) aged 65 or older.^[8]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 84.9% European (Pākehā); 8.8% Māori; 2.9% Pasifika; 10.0% Asian; 1.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.3%, Māori by 2.0%, Samoan by 0.6%, and other languages by 16.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 33.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.^[8]

Religious affiliations were 24.7% Christian, 1.8% Hindu, 0.6% Islam, 0.4% Māori religious beliefs, 1.8% Buddhist, 0.7% New Age, 0.2% Jewish, and 1.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.7%, and 6.4% of people did not answer the census question.^[8]

Of those at least 15 years old, 849 (39.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 921 (43.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 354 (16.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $41,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 294 people (13.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 1,008 (47.4%) full-time, 384 (18.1%) part-time, and 48 (2.3%) unemployed.^[8]

Education

References