Kingston was originally named 'St Johns' after police commissioner St. John Branigan. [3]
Demographics
Kingston is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 0.60 km2 (0.23 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 380 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 633 people per km2. It is part of the much larger Kingston statistical area.
Before the 2023 census, Kingston settlement had a larger boundary, covering 2.78 km2 (1.07 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Kingston had a population of 306 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 108 people (54.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 159 people (108.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 135 households, comprising 156 males and 150 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 37.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 51 people (16.7%) aged under 15 years, 45 (14.7%) aged 15 to 29, 186 (60.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (7.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 92.2% European/Pākehā, 5.9% Māori, 2.0% Pasifika, 2.9% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 61.8% had no religion, 20.6% were Christian, 1.0% were Hindu, 1.0% were Buddhist and 3.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 66 (25.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 33 (12.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $49,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 54 people (21.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 201 (78.8%) people were employed full-time, 24 (9.4%) were part-time, and 3 (1.2%) were unemployed.[4]
Kingston statistical area
The Kingston statistical area covers 1,012.54 km2 (390.94 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 420 as of June 2024,[5] with a population density of 0.41 people per km2.
Kingston, New Zealand with Lake Wakatipu in the background (2023)
The statistical area had a population of 348 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 111 people (46.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 147 people (73.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 144 households, comprising 180 males and 168 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 35.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 57 people (16.4%) aged under 15 years, 60 (17.2%) aged 15 to 29, 201 (57.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (7.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 92.2% European/Pākehā, 6.0% Māori, 1.7% Pasifika, 4.3% Asian, and 1.7% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 25.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.9% had no religion, 20.7% were Christian, 0.9% were Hindu, 0.9% were Buddhist and 4.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 78 (26.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 36 (12.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $49,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 60 people (20.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 228 (78.4%) people were employed full-time, 30 (10.3%) were part-time, and 3 (1.0%) were unemployed.[6]
Kingston Station
Transport
The Kingston Flyer historic railway service is closely associated with the town. It operated over a 14 kilometre long preserved section of the former Kingston Branch, which provided a rail link from the city of Invercargill to Kingston for over a century, opening in 1878 and closing in 1979 after a section of track between Garston and Athol was washed out in a storm.
^Miller, Frederick Walter Gascoyne (1949). Golden days of Lake County : the history of Lake County and the boroughs of Queenstown and Arrowtown. Christchurch, NZ: Whitcombe & Tombs. p. 62.
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