Ashley Forest is a forest and a statistical area in the Canterbury Region's Hurunui District on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located north of the Ashley River / Rakahuri and northeast of the Okuku River.[3]

Ashley Forest
Locality
Map
Coordinates: 43°07′41″S 172°29′46″E / 43.128°S 172.496°E / -43.128; 172.496
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Territorial authorityHurunui District
WardSouth Ward
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityHurunui District Council
 • Regional councilEnvironment Canterbury
 • Mayor of HurunuiMarie Black
 • Kaikoura MPStuart Smith
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Area
 • Total
340.57 km2 (131.49 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Total
810
 • Density2.4/km2 (6.2/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

The forest was planted from 1939.[4] It is managed by Rayonier Matariki and is only accessible by the public with a permit.[5]

Ashley Forest Village is a small settlement at the southern end of the forest.

Demographics

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The Ashley Forest statistical area covers 340.57 km2 (131.49 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 810 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 2.4 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
2006522—    
2013642 3.00%
2018669 0.83%
Source: [6]

Ashley Forest had a population of 669 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 27 people (4.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 147 people (28.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 234 households, comprising 348 males and 324 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 44.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 138 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 105 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 327 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (15.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 97.3% European/Pākehā, 7.6% Māori, 0.4% Pasifika, 1.3% Asian, and 0.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 13.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.6% had no religion, 37.7% were Christian, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 114 (21.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 75 (14.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 105 people (19.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 297 (55.9%) people were employed full-time, 96 (18.1%) were part-time, and 21 (4.0%) were unemployed.[6]

Climate

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Climate data for Ashley Forest (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–1989)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9)
39.8
(103.6)
33.9
(93.0)
28.3
(82.9)
26.7
(80.1)
22.4
(72.3)
20.9
(69.6)
22.2
(72.0)
29.4
(84.9)
30.0
(86.0)
30.5
(86.9)
31.7
(89.1)
39.8
(103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21.6
(70.9)
21.3
(70.3)
19.9
(67.8)
17.3
(63.1)
14.0
(57.2)
11.7
(53.1)
10.9
(51.6)
12.0
(53.6)
14.5
(58.1)
16.3
(61.3)
17.9
(64.2)
20.1
(68.2)
16.5
(61.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)
16.3
(61.3)
14.7
(58.5)
12.4
(54.3)
9.7
(49.5)
7.5
(45.5)
6.6
(43.9)
7.6
(45.7)
9.6
(49.3)
11.4
(52.5)
12.9
(55.2)
15.1
(59.2)
11.7
(53.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.5
(52.7)
11.4
(52.5)
9.6
(49.3)
7.4
(45.3)
5.4
(41.7)
3.3
(37.9)
2.4
(36.3)
3.3
(37.9)
4.7
(40.5)
6.6
(43.9)
8.0
(46.4)
10.2
(50.4)
7.0
(44.6)
Record low °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)
3.0
(37.4)
0.6
(33.1)
0.0
(32.0)
−2.2
(28.0)
−5.6
(21.9)
−6.4
(20.5)
−3.4
(25.9)
−4.0
(24.8)
−1.1
(30.0)
−2.0
(28.4)
1.5
(34.7)
−6.4
(20.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 57.3
(2.26)
57.6
(2.27)
84.3
(3.32)
70.4
(2.77)
59.1
(2.33)
62.7
(2.47)
78.2
(3.08)
69.9
(2.75)
64.8
(2.55)
84.1
(3.31)
50.7
(2.00)
65.3
(2.57)
804.4
(31.68)
Source: NIWA[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "NZ Topo Map" (Map). Ashley Forest. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Ashley". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Ashley Forest Access". North Canterbury Cycling Club. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Ashley Forest (312600). 2018 Census place summary: Ashley Forest
  7. ^ "CliFlo – National Climate Database : Ashley Forest 1". NIWA. Retrieved 25 October 2024.