Meshblock
Area unit
Ward
Territorial authorities
Regional councils
Meshblock
Example of a meshblock (PDF 45kb)
The meshblock is the smallest geographic unit for which statistical data is collected and processed by Statistics New Zealand.
A meshblock is a defined geographic area, varying in size from part of a city block to large areas of rural land. Each meshblock abuts against another to form a network covering all of New Zealand including coasts and inlets, and extending out to the 200-mile economic zone.
Meshblock boundaries follow either road centrelines or parcel boundaries. Meshblocks are added together to 'build up' larger geographic areas such as area units, Wards and urban areas. They are also the principal unit used to draw up and define electoral district and territorial authority boundaries.
In Manukau City there are 1,859 meshblocks.
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Area Unit
Example of an area unit (PDF 65kb)
Area units are aggregations of meshblocks. They are non-administrative areas in-between meshblocks and Territorial Authorities in size and must either define or aggregate to define Regional Councils, Territorial Authorities, urban areas and statistical areas.
Each area unit must be a single geographic entity with a unique name referring to a geographical feature. Area units of main or secondary urban areas generally coincide with suburbs or parts thereof.
Area units within urban areas normally contain a population of 3,000-5,000, though this can vary due to such things as industrial areas, port areas, and rural areas within the urban area boundaries. In rural areas, the straddling of some Territorial Authorities over regional boundaries has resulted in a number of area units having only two or three meshblocks and a very low population count.
In Manukau City there are 85 area units.
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Ward
Example of a ward's boundaries (PDF 331kb)
Territorial authorities may for electoral purposes, be divided into Wards. The Ward system was designed to allow for the recognition of communities within a district and to increase community involvement in the local government system.
The boundaries of Wards and their parent Territorial Authorities may be reviewed in the year immediately preceding the triennial local government elections. The review is conducted by the Territorial Authority under provisions contained in the Local Government Act.
Ward boundaries are defined at meshblock level, but are not area unit definable.
Manukau City currently has 7 wards.
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Territorial authorities
Map of Manukau City's boundaries (PDF887kb)
New Zealand has a total of 74 Territorial Authorities (including 15 cities and 59 districts).
When defining the boundaries of Territorial Authorities in 1989, the Local Government Commission placed considerable weight on the 'community of interest'. While the size of the community was a factor, the relevance of the components of the community to each other and the capacity of the unit to service the community in an efficient manner, were the factors on which the commission placed most emphasis.
Territorial Authorities are defined at meshblock and area unit level.
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Regional councils
Map of the Auckland Region's boundaries (PDF 719kb)
There are currently 16 Regional Councils in New Zealand.
The Local Government Amendment Act (No. 3) 1988 requires the boundaries of regions to conform as far as possible to one or more water catchments. When determining regional boundaries, the Local Government Commission also gave consideration to regional communities of interest, natural resource management, land use planning and environmental matters. Regional Councils are defined at meshblock and area unit level, with the seaward boundary of the regions extending to New Zealand's twelve mile (19.3km) territorial limit.
Regional councils cover every territorial authority in New Zealand with the exception of Chatham Islands District. Generally, regional councils contain complete territorial authorities. Where territorial authorities straddle regional council boundaries, the affected area has been statistically defined in complete area units. For the 2001 boundaries, there are eight instances of territorial authority boundaries straddling regional council boundaries.
There are 6 complete (including Manukau) and one partial (Franklin District) Territorial Authorities within the boundary of the Auckland Regional Council.
Source of information: Statistics New Zealand, Definitions and Questionnaires.
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