Living in Gisborne

Gisborne is a city in New Zealand, and the figures below are its published values. Its population was 52,700 at the end of 2025. An unemployment rate of 6.1% was measured at the end of 2023. A foreign population count of 5,949 was recorded at the end of 2023.

Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Gisborne?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in New ZealandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Gisborne.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Gisborne yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

11.3% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 5,949 people of 52,700 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in New ZealandUnemployment in Gisborne is 6.1%. Of 73 cities with data, 34 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	6.1 %country median 3.2%	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ³Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Gisborne. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Work and Income employment service — Public employment service

Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand

Job Search

Open official service

Open the New Zealand service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Gisborne. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Gisborne's nearest airport was GIS, 3 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Airport Direct Destinations Count	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km	3 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports²Official
Nearest Major Airport Iata	GIS	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Gisborne. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

English Language Teaching — Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund — State Language Course

Tertiary Education Commission

For adult migrants, refugees, adult speakers of other languages.

EnglishIn Person, Online, Hybridsubsidized

Open official information

New Zealand settlement services — Newcomer Adaptation

Immigration New Zealand

For migrants, refugees, newcomers.

In Person, Online, Hybridfree

Open official information

Open the full New Zealand section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Gisborne.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 19.4°C in January and 9.9°C in July. Gisborne's monthly precipitation totalled 65.6 mm in January and 128.3 mm in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan 24.7 · Feb 24.3 · Mar 22.5 · Apr 20 · May 17.7 · Jun 15.3 · Jul 14.4 · Aug 15.3 · Sep 17.1 · Oct 19.1 · Nov 20.8 · Dec 23.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 14.2 · Feb 14.4 · Mar 12.6 · Apr 10.2 · May 7.9 · Jun 5.8 · Jul 5.5 · Aug 5.7 · Sep 7.3 · Oct 9 · Nov 10.7 · Dec 13.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI⁷Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 19.4 · Feb 19.3 · Mar 17.5 · Apr 15.1 · May 12.8 · Jun 10.6 · Jul 9.9 · Aug 10.5 · Sep 12.2 · Oct 14 · Nov 15.7 · Dec 18.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 65.6 · Feb 68 · Mar 92.9 · Apr 103.8 · May 91 · Jun 97.1 · Jul 128.3 · Aug 86.5 · Sep 71.1 · Oct 67.6 · Nov 63.7 · Dec 64.2 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 259.9 · Feb 204.9 · Mar 193 · Apr 165.3 · May 151.3 · Jun 133.2 · Jul 130.3 · Aug 172.6 · Sep 189.4 · Oct 230.9 · Nov 228.6 · Dec 236.9 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁰Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All New Zealand cities

Whangarei53,841 residents Nelson54,300 residents Rotorua55,326 residents Invercargill48,987 residents Porirua58,080 residents Hastings47,682 residents

Population and city profile

An area of 8,385.1 km² comprised Gisborne at the end of 2023. Gisborne's population density measured 6.3 people per km² at the end of 2024.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	8,385 km²	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ⁴Official
Foreign-resident share	11.6 %	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ³Official
Foreign residents	5,949 people	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ³Official
Population density	6.3 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Stats NZ³Official
Population	52,700 people	31 Dec 2025	Stats NZ³Official

Population over time30 published observations, 1996–2025

Population rose 11.7% between 1996 and 2025, from 47,200 to 52,700.

International community in Gisborne

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
United Kingdom and Ireland	1,068	2.9%
Asia	1,065	2.9%
Pacific Islands	726	2.0%
Australia	606	1.7%
Middle East and Africa	603	1.7%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)	339	0.9%
North America	297	0.8%
Other	162	0.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
New Zealand European	19,578	53.0%
Māori	19,515	52.9%
Other European	1,959	5.3%
Tongan	900	2.4%
Indian	753	2.0%
Samoan	624	1.7%
Cook Islands Maori	453	1.2%
Southeast Asian	417	1.1%
Other Ethnicity	348	0.9%
Chinese	342	0.9%

Show 11 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Fijian	237	0.6%
Other Asian	219	0.6%
Latin American	207	0.6%
European nfd	165	0.4%
Niuean	111	0.3%
Other Pacific Peoples	84	0.2%
African	69	0.2%
Tokelauan	54	0.1%
Middle Eastern	51	0.1%
Asian nfd	42	0.1%
Pacific Peoples nfd	9	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
European	21,216	57.5%
Māori	19,515	52.9%
Pacific Peoples	2,295	6.2%
Asian	1,755	4.8%
Other Ethnicity	348	0.9%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African	327	0.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Is Gisborne a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker52%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 41–63%

Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–67%

Student58%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 46–70%

Family52%strong on family, weak on safety · range 40–64%

Retirement53%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 39–67%

Foreign residents5,949 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ

Population52,700 people31 Dec 2025Official source · Stats NZ

Unemployment rate6.1 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ

City area8,385 km²31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ

Foreign-resident share11.6 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ

Population density6.3 people/km²31 Dec 2024Official source · Stats NZ

Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-05

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gisborne when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

How does Gisborne compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Gisborne's.

Another city…

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Gisborne?

The unemployment rate is 6.1 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Gisborne?

The published population is 52,700 people. Source: Stats NZ.

How many foreign residents live in Gisborne?

5,949 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Gisborne a good place to live?

Gisborne may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Gisborne?

The official country of birth distribution records 606 people (1.7%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Gisborne, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/gisborne/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gisborne-new-zealand-jobs-climate-population_82b2d7c2005f,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gisborne, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/gisborne/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gisborne, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/gisborne/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
Stats NZ services2.arcgis.com · checked 2026-08-03
Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.