ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Rolleston

Rolleston is a city in New Zealand. Its population was 28,449 in March 2023. The city covers 23.71 km², with a population density of 1,299.3 people per km² in March 2023.

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

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 Rolleston.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

30.6% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 8,709 people of 28,449 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 Rolleston is 2.0%. 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%342–4Rolleston 2.0%16 cities: 4% to under 6%164–68 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate2 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz7Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Rolleston. 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 Rolleston. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport20 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights2Official
Nearest airportCHC3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official
Distance to nearest airport16 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rolleston average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND22°2°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Rolleston average monthly precipitation, mm020406080433744545764535539474649JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Rolleston average monthly sunshine, hours060120180240228195191158141115128157169205227215JFMAMJJASONDhours
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average daytime high by monthJan 22 · Feb 21.9 · Mar 20.1 · Apr 17.2 · May 14.7 · Jun 11.7 · Jul 11.2 · Aug 12.5 · Sep 14.8 · Oct 16.7 · Nov 18.5 · Dec 20.5 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI8Official
Average night-time low by monthJan 11.7 · Feb 11.7 · Mar 9.9 · Apr 7.3 · May 4.8 · Jun 2.1 · Jul 1.6 · Aug 2.9 · Sep 4.7 · Oct 6.5 · Nov 8.1 · Dec 10.5 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI9Official
Average temperature by monthJan 16.8 · Feb 16.8 · Mar 15 · Apr 12.3 · May 9.8 · Jun 6.9 · Jul 6.4 · Aug 7.7 · Sep 9.7 · Oct 11.6 · Nov 13.3 · Dec 15.5 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI10Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 42.9 · Feb 37.1 · Mar 44.2 · Apr 54 · May 57.2 · Jun 63.9 · Jul 52.8 · Aug 54.7 · Sep 39.3 · Oct 46.8 · Nov 46.2 · Dec 48.8 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI11Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 227.5 · Feb 195.2 · Mar 190.6 · Apr 158.1 · May 141.2 · Jun 115.3 · Jul 127.8 · Aug 156.5 · Sep 169.1 · Oct 205.4 · Nov 226.7 · Dec 215 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

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

All New Zealand cities
Blenheim28,788 residentsTimaru28,095 residentsParaparaumu28,938 residentsTaupo25,374 residentsQueenstown25,050 residentsMasterton21,606 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Rolleston residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport69.4%Foreign residents30.6%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area23.71 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.1Official
Foreign residents8,709 people31 Dec 2023tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz7Official
Population density1,299 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.4Official
Population28,449 people7 Mar 2023Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population6Official

International community in Rolleston

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
Asia3,61812.8%
Middle East and Africa1,6685.9%
United Kingdom and Ireland1,4615.2%
Pacific Islands5131.8%
Australia4771.7%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)4711.7%
Other3121.1%
North America1890.7%

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 groupPeopleShare
New Zealand European19,26067.7%
Māori2,93410.3%
Other European2,5208.9%
Indian2,2357.9%
Southeast Asian1,3234.7%
Chinese1,0083.5%
Other Asian7502.6%
Samoan5041.8%
Other Ethnicity4171.5%
Latin American3961.4%
Show 11 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
African1770.6%
Cook Islands Maori1710.6%
Tongan1680.6%
Fijian1140.4%
Middle Eastern1080.4%
European nfd960.3%
Asian nfd780.3%
Niuean750.3%
Other Pacific Peoples480.2%
Pacific Peoples nfd90.0%
Tokelauan30.0%

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 groupPeopleShare
European21,42375.3%
Asian5,34618.8%
Māori2,93410.3%
Pacific Peoples1,0083.5%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African6812.4%
Other Ethnicity4171.5%

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

Is Rolleston 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 worker60%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 49–71%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–74%
Student51%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 39–63%
Family62%strong on family, weak on safety · range 50–74%
Retirement47%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 33–61%
Foreign residents8,709 people31 Dec 2023Official source · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz
Population28,449 people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population
Unemployment rate2 %31 Dec 2023Official source · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz
City area23.71 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.
Population density1,299 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.
Destinations from nearest airport20 count3 Aug 2026Official source · OpenFlights
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Rolleston 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 Rolleston?

The unemployment rate is 2 %. Source: tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz.

How many people live in Rolleston?

The published population is 28,449 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Rolleston?

8,709 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz.

Is Rolleston a good place to live?

Rolleston 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 Rolleston?

The official country of birth distribution records 477 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 12). Rolleston, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/rolleston/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_rolleston-new-zealand-jobs-climate_afbe7f70b594,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Rolleston, 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/rolleston/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Rolleston, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/rolleston/) — 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. 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
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. 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
  5. Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
  6. 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
  7. tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-27
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Show 2 more sources
  1. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  2. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03

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.