Skip to content
Waikato District Council - Te Kaunihera aa Takiwaa o Waikato

Waikato region in numbers

This page brings together key numbers for the ten district and city council areas in the Waikato region: population, land, economy, representation, rates and council finances.

The councils covered are Hamilton City, Thames-Coromandel, Hauraki, Waikato, Matamata-Piako, Waipā, Ōtorohanga, South Waikato, Waitomo and Taupō. Unless stated, figures are for these ten territorial authorities only.

Part of Rotorua district falls within the Waikato regional boundary, but it is counted within the Bay of Plenty, so it is not included here.

At a glance

  • About 528,250 people live in the ten council areas. Hamilton City has the largest population. Waitomo and Ōtorohanga have the smallest.
  • The ten areas cover about 24,904 square kilometres. Urban areas make up about 1.7 percent of the land, but about three quarters of residents live in them.
  • The economy is about $36.2 billion in GDP.
  • Residents per elected member range from about 1,000 in the smallest districts to more than 13,000 in Hamilton.
  • Across the ten councils, total assets are about $21.9 billion and total borrowings are about $2.5 billion.

Where people live

About 528,250 people live across the ten council areas.

Population by district, Waikato regionEstimated resident population, at 30 June 2025Thames-Coromandel, 32,200 peopleHauraki, 22,100 peopleWaikato District, 91,100 peopleMatamata-Piako, 39,200 peopleHamilton City, 192,100 peopleWaipā, 62,200 peopleŌtorohanga, 10,700 peopleSouth Waikato, 26,000 peopleWaitomo, 9,950 peopleTaupō, 42,700 peopleThames-Coromandel32,200Hauraki22,100Waikato District91,100Matamata-Piako39,200Hamilton City192,100Waipā62,200Ōtorohanga10,700South Waikato26,000Waitomo9,950Taupō42,700Shading, population9,950192,100Definition. Estimated resident population is an estimate ofall people who usually live in an area at 30 June, updatedfrom the census count for births, deaths and migration.Source. Stats NZ subnational population estimates at 30 June2025. Outlines, Stats NZ census territorial authorityboundaries.

Hamilton City has the largest population, at about 192,100. Waikato District, Waipā, Taupō and Matamata-Piako are the next largest. Waitomo and Ōtorohanga are the smallest. Darker shading shows higher population.

Land area

The ten council areas cover about 24,904 square kilometres. Each tile is sized by land area.

Land area across districts in the Waikato regionTile size shows land area, square kilometresTaupō6,333.4 km²Waikato District4,404.1 km²Waitomo3,534.9 km²Thames-Coromandel2,207.6 km²Ōtorohanga1,999.1 km²South Waikato1,818.9 km²Matamata-Piako1,755.3 km²Waipā1,470.1 km²HaurakiHamilton CityDefinition. Land area is the area of land within each territorial authority boundary, measured by Stats NZ. Tile sizeis proportional to land area.Source. Stats NZ territorial authority 2026 boundaries.

Taupō has the largest land area, followed by Waikato District and Waitomo. Hamilton City has the smallest. The chart is sized by land area, not population.

Urban and rural

This chart shows the share of each district's population living in urban and rural areas.

Urban and rural share of population across districts in the Waikato regionEach district to 100 percent, ordered by urban shareHamilton City100% urbanTaupō75% urbanSouth Waikato73% urbanThames-Coromandel69% urbanWaipā67% urbanMatamata-Piako61% urbanHauraki55% urbanWaitomo49% urbanWaikato District42% urbanŌtorohanga30% urbanUrbanRuralDefinition. Urban and rural population splits the usual resident population by Stats NZ urban and rural areas, shown asa share of each district. It reflects where people live, not how land is used.Source. Stats NZ urban rural 2026 classification.

Hamilton is classified as entirely urban. Taupō, South Waikato and Thames-Coromandel have the next highest urban shares. Waikato District and Ōtorohanga have larger rural shares. Overall, about three quarters of residents live in urban areas.

The next chart shows the urban-rural split by land area.

Urban and rural share of land area across districts in the Waikato regionEach district to 100 percent, ordered by urban shareHamilton City100% urbanWaipā3.6% urbanThames-Coromandel3.1% urbanMatamata-Piako1.8% urbanHauraki1.4% urbanWaikato District1.4% urbanSouth Waikato1.2% urbanTaupō0.9% urbanŌtorohanga0.3% urbanWaitomo0.2% urbanUrbanRuralDefinition. Urban and rural land splits each district’s land area into the part inside Stats NZ urban areas and the rest,shown as a share of the district. It reflects how land is used, not where people live.Source. Stats NZ urban rural 2026 classification.

Most land sits outside Stats NZ urban areas. Across the ten council areas, urban areas make up about 1.7 percent of land area.

Land cover

Land cover shows what is on the ground, such as grassland, forest, water and built-up area.

Land cover of the Waikato regionLand cover type, 2023, with district outlinesHigh-producing grassland12,517 km²Indigenous forest5,829 km²Exotic forest3,008 km²Native shrubland1,220 km²Water865 km²Low-producing grassland281 km²Built-up area265 km²Wetland & coastal229 km²Bare & mines145 km²Cropland & horticulture136 km²Urban parkland45 km²Definition. Land cover is the physical surface of the land, grouped into classes such as grassland, forest, water and built-up area.Source. Manaaki Whenua Land Cover Database v6.0, 2023 classes. District outlines, Stats NZ.
The map uses colour to show land cover types. The chart below shows the share by category.
Land cover of the Waikato region by typeShare of mapped land area, 2023High-producing grassland51.0%Indigenous forest23.8%Exotic forest12.3%Native shrubland5.0%Water3.5%Low-producing grassland1.1%Built-up area1.1%Wetland & coastal0.9%Bare & mines0.6%Cropland & horticulture0.6%Urban parkland0.2%Definition. Land cover is the physical surface of the land, grouped into classes such as grassland, forest, water and built-up area.Source. Manaaki Whenua Land Cover Database v6.0, 2023 classes. Total mapped area 24,539 km².

High-producing grassland covers about 51 percent of the region. Native forest covers about a quarter, exotic forest about one eighth, and built-up area just over one percent.

The economy

GDP shows the value produced in each district.

GDP across districts in the Waikato regionModelled district GDP, year to March 2024Hamilton City$18,054mWaikato District$3,792mWaipā$3,365mTaupō$3,223mMatamata-Piako$2,764mSouth Waikato$1,476mThames-Coromandel$1,319mHauraki$972mWaitomo$708mŌtorohanga$557mDefinition. GDP, gross domestic product, is the total value of goods and services produced in an area in a year.Source. MBIE modelled territorial authority GDP, 2025 release, for the year to March 2024.

The ten council areas produce about $36.2 billion in GDP. Hamilton accounts for about $18 billion. Waikato, Waipā and Taupō each sit between about $3 billion and $4 billion.

How residents are represented

Elected members are mayors and councillors who represent each council area. This chart shows estimated residents per elected member.

Population per elected memberEstimated residents for each elected member, by councilHamilton City13,721Waikato District7,008Waipā5,655Taupō3,558Matamata-Piako3,267Thames-Coromandel3,220South Waikato2,600Hauraki1,700Waitomo1,658Ōtorohanga1,189Definition. Population per elected member divides the estimated resident population by the number of elected members. Ahigher figure means each member represents more people. Ward and community board design shapes representation beyondthis ratio.Source. Stats NZ population estimates at 30 June 2025, and council websites.
Residents per elected member range from around 1,000 in Ōtorohanga and Waitomo to more than 13,000 in Hamilton.

What councils raise in rates

Rates include general rates, water rates and targeted rates. The chart excludes rates collected on behalf of other local authorities, such as regional councils.

Rates revenue across districts in the Waikato regionBy council, year ended 30 June 2025Hamilton City$305.0mWaikato District$139.3mTaupō$108.4mThames-Coromandel$107.4mWaipā$84.2mMatamata-Piako$56.0mHauraki$52.0mSouth Waikato$43.8mWaitomo$23.4mŌtorohanga$15.0mDefinition. Rates include all forms of rates, such as uniform annual general charges, water rates and targeted rates.Rates collected on behalf of other local authorities, such as regional councils, are not included.Source. Stats NZ Local Authority Financial Statistics, year ended 30 June 2025. Definitions follow Stats NZ DataInfo+local authority statistics concepts.

Hamilton collects about $305m in rates, followed by Waikato District at about $139m. Waitomo and Ōtorohanga collect the smallest amounts in this dataset. Regional council rates are excluded.

Running costs and income

Operating income and operating expenditure relate to current operations, which are the provision of core services by local authorities.

Operating income and expenditure across districts in the Waikato regionBy council, year ended 30 June 2025Hamilton City$417.6m / $453.2mWaikato District$186.8m / $209.4mWaipā$134.9m / $148.6mTaupō$136.0m / $144.3mThames-Coromandel$134.1m / $139.0mMatamata-Piako$78.7m / $87.7mHauraki$66.0m / $75.8mSouth Waikato$56.4m / $62.6mWaitomo$38.0m / $42.3mŌtorohanga$24.8m / $28.3mOperating incomeOperating expenditureDefinition. Operating income and operating expenditure relate to current operations, which are the provision of coreservices by local authorities. Operating expenditure includes depreciation.Source. Stats NZ Local Authority Financial Statistics, year ended 30 June 2025. Definitions follow Stats NZ DataInfo+local authority statistics concepts.

In this Stats NZ dataset, operating expenditure is higher than operating income for each district shown.

What councils own and owe

Councils own assets and carry debt. Assets are what local authorities own. Borrowings are council debt.

Total assets and total borrowings across districts in the Waikato regionBy council, year ended 30 June 2025CouncilTotal assets($m)Total borrowings($m)Hamilton City7,206.51,181.1Waikato District2,972.7241.8Waipā2,880.8404.8Thames-Coromandel2,270.191.0Taupō2,226.6237.0Matamata-Piako1,319.685.0Hauraki1,133.3140.0Waitomo736.333.2South Waikato666.850.0Ōtorohanga453.912.4Ten districts21,866.62,476.3Definition. Total assets are what local authorities own. Total borrowings are council debt, including short-term debt due withinthe next 12 months plus term debt due after the next 12 months. Figures are in millions of dollars.Source. Stats NZ Local Authority Financial Statistics, year ended 30 June 2025.
Across the ten districts, total assets are about $21.9 billion and total borrowings are about $2.5 billion.

Sources

Population. Stats NZ subnational population estimates, at 30 June 2025.

Land area and boundaries. Stats NZ territorial authority 2026 boundaries.

Urban and rural. Stats NZ urban rural 2026 classification, used for both the population split and the land split.

Land cover. Manaaki Whenua Land Cover Database v6.0, 2023 classes.

The economy. GDP from MBIE modelled territorial authority GDP, 2025 release.

Representation. Stats NZ representation statistics, 2025 estimates.

Rates and financial figures. Stats NZ Local Authority Financial Statistics, year ended 30 June 2025. Financial terms use Stats NZ DataInfo+ local authority statistics concepts.

Last updated 22 June 2026, 09:14 pm

Download the Antenno app

Use the Antenno app to tell us about things that need our attention, like potholes, graffiti, or broken streetlights.

More about Antenno

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store
Top