Living in Oamaru
The city covers 20.21 km², with a population density of 752.3 people per km² in March 2023. The population of Oamaru, in New Zealand, was 13,680 in March 2023.
Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Oamaru?
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 Oamaru yet. We do not infer one from another place.
Worked out from these numbers
How international is the population?
19.6% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 2,682 people of 13,680 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.
Work and income
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2 %country median 3.2% | 31 Dec 2023 | tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz7Official |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Oamaru. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Work and Income employment service — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Oamaru. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Oamaru. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
English Language Teaching — Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund — State Language Course
Tertiary Education Commission
For adult migrants, refugees, adult speakers of other languages.
New Zealand settlement services — Newcomer Adaptation
Immigration New Zealand
For migrants, refugees, newcomers.
Climate and air quality
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Monthly Extreme High C | Jan 25.84 · Feb 24.98 · Mar 24.76 · Apr 19.87 · May 18.81 · Jun 14.57 · Jul 14.56 · Aug 15 · Sep 16.95 · Oct 20.15 · Nov 24.29 · Dec 23.24 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme Low C | Jan 8.4 · Feb 7.86 · Mar 7.68 · Apr 6.08 · May 4.4 · Jun 3.08 · Jul 2.68 · Aug 1.51 · Sep 4.07 · Oct 4.15 · Nov 5.27 · Dec 7.23 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 14.83 · Feb 14.91 · Mar 14.03 · Apr 12.23 · May 10.35 · Jun 8.45 · Jul 7.79 · Aug 8.21 · Sep 9.38 · Oct 10.44 · Nov 12.03 · Dec 13.67 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
Cities of a similar size in New Zealand
Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.
Population and city profile
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 20.21 km² | 1 Jan 2023 | 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.2Official |
| Foreign residents | 2,682 people | 31 Dec 2023 | tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz7Official |
| Population density | 752.3 people/km² | 7 Mar 2023 | Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.4Official |
| Population | 13,680 people | 7 Mar 2023 | Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population6Official |
International community in Oamaru
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 690 | 5.1% |
| Pacific Islands | 681 | 5.0% |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | 594 | 4.4% |
| Australia | 240 | 1.8% |
| Middle East and Africa | 204 | 1.5% |
| Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland) | 150 | 1.1% |
| North America | 78 | 0.6% |
| Other | 45 | 0.3% |
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 | 11,298 | 82.6% |
| Māori | 1,362 | 10.0% |
| Pacific Peoples | 1,140 | 8.3% |
| Asian | 963 | 7.0% |
| Other Ethnicity | 162 | 1.2% |
| Middle Eastern/Latin American/African | 84 | 0.6% |
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 | 10,764 | 78.7% |
| Māori | 1,362 | 10.0% |
| Tongan | 669 | 4.9% |
| Other European | 621 | 4.5% |
| Indian | 327 | 2.4% |
| Southeast Asian | 273 | 2.0% |
| Chinese | 243 | 1.8% |
| Other Pacific Peoples | 204 | 1.5% |
| Other Ethnicity | 162 | 1.2% |
| Samoan | 153 | 1.1% |
Show 11 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other Asian | 102 | 0.7% |
| Fijian | 93 | 0.7% |
| Cook Islands Maori | 75 | 0.5% |
| European nfd | 54 | 0.4% |
| Latin American | 39 | 0.3% |
| Middle Eastern | 27 | 0.2% |
| Asian nfd | 24 | 0.2% |
| African | 18 | 0.1% |
| Tokelauan | 15 | 0.1% |
| Niuean | 12 | 0.1% |
| Pacific Peoples nfd | 6 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source5
Is Oamaru 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.
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Oamaru 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 guideCommon questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
What is the unemployment rate in Oamaru?
The unemployment rate is 2 %. Source: tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz.
How many people live in Oamaru?
The published population is 13,680 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.
How many foreign residents live in Oamaru?
2,682 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz.
Is Oamaru a good place to live?
Oamaru 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 Oamaru?
The official country of birth distribution records 240 people (1.8%) 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). Oamaru, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/oamaru/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_oamaru-new-zealand-jobs-climate_1ce6101d1b50,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Oamaru, 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/oamaru/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Oamaru, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/oamaru/) — 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
- NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
- 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
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
- 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
- Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
- 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
- tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-27
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.