Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealand, southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin, on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The urban area's population of people is the largest in South Canterbury, and the third-largest in the Canterbury Region overall, after Christchurch and Rolleston. The town is the seat of the Timaru District, which includes the surrounding rural area and the towns of Geraldine, Pleasant Point and Temuka, which combined have a total population of .
Caroline Bay beach is a popular recreational area close to Timaru's main centre, just to the north of the substantial port facilities. Beyond Caroline Bay, the industrial suburb of Washdyke is at a major junction with State Highway 8, the main route into the Mackenzie Country. This provides a road link to Pleasant Point, Fairlie, Twizel, Lake Tekapo, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Queenstown.
Timaru is built on rolling hills created from lava flows of the extinct Mt Horrible volcano, which last erupted 2 to 2.5 Ma. The result is that most of the main streets are undulating, a clear contrast with the flat landscape of the Canterbury Plains to the north. The volcanic rock is referred to as bluestone, and is used in the construction of local buildings.
History Māori settlement The origin of the name 'Timaru' is disputed. Some believe that it derives from Māori Te Maru, which can mean a 'place of shelter'. However, other authorities allege that Timaru originates from a literal translation of the combination of tī, a cabbage tree and maru, meaning 'shady'.
Māori waka seem to have employed the site of Timaru as a place to rest on journeys up and down the eastern coastline for many years before the arrival of the first Europeans in the 19th century. The area includes over 500 sites with traces of Māori rock art, particularly in the rock overhangs and caves of the Opuha and Ōpihi River valleys, to the west of modern-day Timaru. Archaeologists have suggested that Māori iwi (tribes) were permanently settled in the district before 1400 AD. During the 17th or 18th century the resident Ngāti Mamoe were driven southwards into Fiordland by an invasion of the Ngāi Tahu, who came from the North Island.
Te Runanga o Arowhenua is the hapū (subtribe) for Aoraki (Timaru District). Their marae is located just outside Temuka.
19th century onwards
European settlement began with the construction of a whaling station in 1839 by the Weller brothers of Otago at Patiti Point, close to the present town centre. A supply ship, The Caroline, provided the name for a local bay. Later a sheep station, known as The Levels, was set up on land obtained by the Rhodes brothers, and run by George Rhodes. One of the earliest settlers was Captain Henry Cain, who set up a store in 1857 on behalf of Henry Le Cren of Lyttelton, and Le Cren himself moved to Timaru in the following year.
Few lived in Timaru until 14 January 1859 when the sailing ship Strathallan arrived from London, carrying a party of 111, 107, or, as a 1958 account said, about 120 immigrants. Persistent land disputes arose between the Rhodes brothers and local government officials with the result that two townships were established in the port area, Government Town and Rhodestown. These eventually merged into a single community in 1868. Given this division, until recently none of the main north-south streets lined up. Stafford Street, which became the main thoroughfare, was formed along the early bullock wagon trail.
Following the loss of a number of vessels off the coast, the breakwater design by Engineer John Goodall was adopted and work started on the redevelopment of the artificial port in 1877, which eventually caused sand washed south down the Pacific shoreline to build up against the northern mole. This was the beginning of the extensive land reclamation around the Caroline Bay district, an area which is still growing today.
On Boxing Day 1879, Timaru was the scene of one of New Zealand's most notable sectarian disturbances. The New Zealand Orange Order planned to take part in a procession of friendly societies, which included marching with the Foresters and the Odd Fellows. Opposition from Irish Catholic residents and supporters led to large crowds gathering in the town, prompting authorities to bring in police reinforcements from Christchurch. The crowd grew to over 150 Catholics. The police, alongside the mayor and a magistrate did what they could to contain the riot. A few Orangemen drew their swords, but were advised against engaging in the violence. It became known as the "Siege of Timaru" or the "Timaru Orange Riots".
Timaru continued to expand during the 20th century, with much of the development taking the form of wooden colonial style bungalows set in individual sections of land. Sacred Heart Basilica was opened in 1911.
Geography Timaru is situated along the Pacific Ocean coast. Much of the hinterland is farmland. To the north and northeast are the Canterbury Plains.
Suburbs
Washdyke Smithfield Grantlea Waimataitai Marchwiel Timaru Central Maori Hill Highfield Glenwood Gleniti Seaview West End Watlington Parkside Kensington Redruth Oceanview Port Timaru
Climate Timaru has a relatively dry temperate climate similar to that of neighbouring Ashburton and Christchurch, classified as an oceanic climate (Cfb) by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system. Temperatures are warm in summer and cool in winter, with Timaru's extreme maximum temperature being on 6 February 2011 and the extreme minimum on 3 August 1998. Rain is evenly distributed throughout the year, with a very small proportion of it falling as snow.
Demographics The Timaru urban area is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a medium urban area. It covers and incorporates sixteen statistical areas. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Timaru had a population of 27,498 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,236 people (4.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,380 people (5.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 11,502 households, comprising 13,368 males and 14,133 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 4,758 people (17.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,893 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 11,709 (42.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,147 (22.4%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 89.2% European/Pākehā, 9.3% Māori, 2.4% Pasifika, 5.2% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 13.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 47.8% had no religion, 40.9% were Christian, 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.9% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,892 (12.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 5,742 (25.3%) people had no formal qualifications. 2,979 people (13.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 10,791 (47.5%) people were employed full-time, 3,264 (14.4%) were part-time, and 648 (2.8%) were unemployed.
+Individual statistical areasName Area (km2) Population Density (per km2) Households Median age Median income Fraser Park 1.22 2,751 2,255 1,179 43.1 years $30,500 Gleniti North 5.46 1,491 273 603 50.4 years $39,600 Gleniti South 1.74 2,433 1,398 951 50.8 years $29,900 Glenwood 1.05 1,788 1,703 723 42.5 years $27,800 Highfield North 1.41 2,358 1,672 963 51.1 years $28,400 Highfield South 0.95 1,251 1,317 510 40.8 years $30,400 Kensington (Timaru District) 0.73 1,464 2,005 642 39.2 years $27,900 Marchwiel East 0.93 1,980 2,129 735 37.4 years $25,200 Marchwiel West 0.84 1,527 1,818 648 39.7 years $26,800 Parkside 1.15 2,376 2,066 1,053 40.7 years $27,400 Seaview 0.73 2,088 2,860 969 41.6 years $28,300 Timaru Central 0.82 405 494 171 37.4 years $27,500 Timaru East 3.60 273 76 123 40.1 years $27,400 Waimataitai-Maori Hill 1.50 2,043 1,362 912 45.8 years $30,800 Washdyke 10.66 1,017 95 411 44.6 years $32,300 Watlington 1.21 2,253 1,862 909 39.8 years $30,300 New Zealand 37.4 years $31,800
Government
The mayor of Timaru District is Nigel Bowen.
Timaru is part of the parliamentary electorate of Rangitata, represented by James Meager of the New Zealand National Party. Jo Luxton is a local list MP in the electorate from the New Zealand Labour Party.
Sister cities Timaru District has established four sister city relationships.
Orange, New South Wales, Australia Weihai, Shandong, China Eniwa, Hokkaidō, Japan Orange, California, United States of America
Economy Timaru is an agricultural service town and port for the South Canterbury regional economy. Timaru is one of the major cargo ports of the South Island, and also the second largest fishing port in New Zealand. The port receives frequent cruise ships throughout the summer months.
Timaru also has a number of light manufacturing plants associated with the export and import trade. Many of these producers are concerned with processing, packing, and distributing meat, dairy and other agricultural produce.
Allan Hubbard the chartered accountant and philanthropist established the failed finance company South Canterbury Finance and accounting firm Hubbard Churcher in Timaru and lived locally until his death in a car accident on 2 September 2011.
In late September 2024, the Alliance Group proposed closing down its Smithfield meatworks plant, which would affect about 600 jobs. Following consultation, the Alliance Group confirmed in mid-October 2024 that it would close down its Smithfield meat processing plant in December 2024, citing declining sheep processing numbers caused by land-use changes. The former Smithfield site has since been repurposed as a deer processing plant operated by Southern Alp Meats.
Timaru's average annual unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national average. In March 2026, Timaru's average unemployment was sitting at 4.0%, compared to New Zealand's overall average of 5.3%.
Venture Timaru is the official economic development agency for the whole of Timaru District.
Shopping Retailing is concentrated around the Stafford Street area. In addition there are a number of local shopping malls distributed around the city, with extensive car parking facilities.
Tourist attractions
The South Canterbury Museum is the main museum for the region, containing exhibits relating to physical geography and the environment, fossil remains, Māori rock art, the early settlement of the district, local maritime history, scrimshaw, the E P Seally natural history collection, and information about Richard Pearse, a local inventor and his attempts at manned flight in the first years of the 20th century.
The Aigantighe (a Scots Gaelic word pronounced "egg and tie") Art Gallery in Wai-iti Road is the South Island's third largest art museum. It holds a collection of New Zealand, Pacific, Asian and European art works from the sixteenth century to the present day and includes a sculpture garden. The gallery was founded in 1956 and is housed in a homestead built in 1908.
Timaru has with a number of open spaces, public gardens and parks. The Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden at Caroline Bay Park Caroline Bay, is a major feature of the Timaru Piazza development. The parkland of the Bay Area contains a mini golf course, a roller skating rink, a soundshell and amphitheatre style seating for musical events. It is home to the annual Caroline Bay Summer Carnival that takes place over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, featuring live performances, games, and side shows, takes place from Boxing Day through to mid-January at Caroline Bay Park.