Population
At the last New Zealand census in 2013, the combined population of the Marlborough and Kaikoura regions was 49,857. The majority of these people are located in the towns
of Blenheim, Picton and Kaikoura. Blenheim, which is located on the fertile Wairau Plain, has a population of over 24,000; Picton, at the terminus for the
Wellington-Picton ferries, has a population of over 2,500; and the Kaikoura township has a population of 3,555.| Main population centres: | |
| Blenheim | 24,183 |
| Renwick & Woodbourne | 2,517 |
| Picton | 2,745 |
| Havelock | 489 |
| Seddon | 507 |
| Kaikoura | 3,555 |
| Population mix: | |
| European | 93% |
| Maori | 13% |
| Pacific Island | 1% |
| Asian & Other | 1% |
| Age mix: | |
| Under 15 | 20% |
| 15 to 64 | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% |
Statistics from Statistics New Zealand
It's a Fact...
FOUNDING FATHER
Acknowledged as Kaikoura's founding father, Captain Robert Fyffe established the first whaling station in the area in 1842. Fyffe had worked for a number of years as a whaler in the Marlborough Sounds. However, disappointed with results, he moved south to establish the Kaikoura station "Waiopuka", building huts and sheds, and employing forty men. Other whaling stations soon followed, but as whale numbers declined, whaling became uneconomic.
Acknowledged as Kaikoura's founding father, Captain Robert Fyffe established the first whaling station in the area in 1842. Fyffe had worked for a number of years as a whaler in the Marlborough Sounds. However, disappointed with results, he moved south to establish the Kaikoura station "Waiopuka", building huts and sheds, and employing forty men. Other whaling stations soon followed, but as whale numbers declined, whaling became uneconomic.