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Living in Kawerau

Kawerau is a city in New Zealand. Its population was 7,539 in March 2023. The city covers 23.56 km², with a population density of 335.2 people per km² in March 2023.

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

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

Housing and cost

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

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

10% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 756 people of 7,539 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 Kawerau is 14.5%. Of 73 cities with data, 34 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in New Zealand per band14 cities: 0% to under 2%140–234 cities: 2% to under 4%342–416 cities: 4% to under 6%164–68 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16Kawerau 14.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate14.5 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kawerau. 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

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

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport1 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights3Official
Nearest airportWHK3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official
Distance to nearest airport27 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Kawerau. 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

New Zealand settlement services — Newcomer Adaptation

Immigration New Zealand

For migrants, refugees, newcomers.

In Person, Online, Hybridfree
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Kawerau.

Climate and air quality

MetricValuePeriodSource
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 30.85 · Feb 33.16 · Mar 28.57 · Apr 24.7 · May 21.29 · Jun 17.75 · Jul 16.08 · Aug 17.36 · Sep 19.55 · Oct 21.97 · Nov 27.1 · Dec 29.03 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 9.42 · Feb 10.05 · Mar 8.32 · Apr 5.45 · May 2.77 · Jun 1.72 · Jul 1.51 · Aug 0.6 · Sep 2.8 · Oct 3.12 · Nov 5.25 · Dec 7.15 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Average temperature by monthJan 19.33 · Feb 19.6 · Mar 17.95 · Apr 15.41 · May 12.86 · Jun 10.66 · Jul 9.57 · Aug 10.17 · Sep 11.54 · Oct 13.11 · Nov 15.25 · Dec 17.64 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

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

All New Zealand cities

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Kawerau residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport90%Foreign residents 10%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area23.56 km²1 Jan 2023Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.2Official
Foreign-resident share10 %31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Foreign residents756 people31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Population density335.2 people/km²7 Mar 2023Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.5Official
Population7,539 people7 Mar 2023Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population8Official

International community in Kawerau

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 groupPeopleShare
United Kingdom and Ireland2523.4%
Australia1742.3%
Asia1441.9%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)660.9%
Middle East and Africa600.8%
Pacific Islands300.4%
North America270.4%
Other30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Māori4,76463.2%
European4,05353.8%
Pacific Peoples3574.7%
Asian2523.3%
Other Ethnicity660.9%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African240.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Māori4,76463.2%
New Zealand European3,77150.0%
Other European3875.1%
Samoan1351.8%
Cook Islands Maori1111.5%
Southeast Asian1111.5%
Indian841.1%
Other Ethnicity660.9%
Tongan630.8%
Niuean450.6%
Show 9 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Chinese450.6%
European nfd270.4%
Other Pacific Peoples180.2%
Other Asian180.2%
Middle Eastern120.2%
Fijian90.1%
Latin American90.1%
African60.1%
Asian nfd30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Is Kawerau 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 worker49%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 38–60%
Skilled employee50%strong on work, weak on safety · range 40–60%
Student62%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 50–74%
Family47%strong on family, weak on safety · range 35–59%
Retirement56%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 42–70%
Foreign residents756 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population7,539 people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population
Unemployment rate14.5 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
City area23.56 km²1 Jan 2023Official source · Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.
Foreign-resident share10 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population density335.2 people/km²7 Mar 2023Official source · Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-13

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kawerau 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.

Common questions

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

What is the unemployment rate in Kawerau?

The unemployment rate is 14.5 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Kawerau?

The published population is 7,539 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Kawerau?

756 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Kawerau a good place to live?

Kawerau 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 Kawerau?

The official country of birth distribution records 174 people (2.3%) 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 12). Kawerau, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/kawerau/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kawerau-new-zealand-jobs-climate_40a36675b4f9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kawerau, New Zealand: jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/kawerau/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Kawerau, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/kawerau/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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
  1. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-01-01
  3. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  4. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-03-07
  6. Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
  8. Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-13

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.