Living in Timaru
Timaru had 28,095 residents in March 2023 and is a city in New Zealand. The city covers 33.98 km², with a population density of 872.5 people per km² in March 2023.
Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Timaru?
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 Timaru yet. We do not infer one from another place.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Timaru?
The unemployment rate is 2.8 % (2023). Source: Stats NZ7
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.8 %country median 3.2% | 31 Dec 2023 | Stats NZ7Official |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Timaru. 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 Timaru. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration in Timaru
1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.
Timaru
View official recordClimate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Timaru?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 15 µg/m³ (2012) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int1
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 15 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2012 | cdn.who.int1Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme High C | Jan 27.71 · Feb 27.53 · Mar 27.15 · Apr 21.51 · May 20.06 · Jun 15.23 · Jul 14.92 · Aug 16.17 · Sep 18.57 · Oct 22.44 · Nov 25.23 · Dec 26.82 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme Low C | Jan 7.73 · Feb 7.59 · Mar 6.84 · Apr 4.64 · May 2.99 · Jun 0.74 · Jul 0.73 · Aug -1 · Sep 2.83 · Oct 3.25 · Nov 4.56 · Dec 6.2 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 15.77 · Feb 15.74 · Mar 14.57 · Apr 12.25 · May 9.91 · Jun 7.57 · Jul 6.9 · Aug 7.62 · Sep 9.2 · Oct 10.63 · Nov 12.57 · Dec 14.5 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center2Official |
Cities of a similar size in New Zealand
Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Timaru?
The published population was 28,095 people in March 2023. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population9
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 33.98 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.3Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 16 % | 31 Dec 2023 | Stats NZ7Official |
| Foreign residents | 7,608 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Stats NZ7Official |
| Population density | 872.5 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.6Official |
| Population | 28,095 people | 7 Mar 2023 | Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population9Official |
International community in Timaru
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 | 1,512 | 5.4% |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | 1,032 | 3.7% |
| Pacific Islands | 732 | 2.6% |
| Middle East and Africa | 672 | 2.4% |
| Australia | 453 | 1.6% |
| Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland) | 255 | 0.9% |
| North America | 144 | 0.5% |
| Other | 72 | 0.3% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8
Ancestry or ethnicity
Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| European | 23,880 | 85.0% |
| Māori | 3,039 | 10.8% |
| Asian | 2,022 | 7.2% |
| Pacific Peoples | 1,317 | 4.7% |
| Other Ethnicity | 348 | 1.2% |
| Middle Eastern/Latin American/African | 264 | 0.9% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8
Ancestry or ethnicity
Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand European | 22,731 | 80.9% |
| Māori | 3,039 | 10.8% |
| Other European | 1,356 | 4.8% |
| Indian | 702 | 2.5% |
| Southeast Asian | 648 | 2.3% |
| Samoan | 585 | 2.1% |
| Tongan | 402 | 1.4% |
| Chinese | 390 | 1.4% |
| Other Ethnicity | 348 | 1.2% |
| Other Asian | 246 | 0.9% |
Show 11 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fijian | 135 | 0.5% |
| Cook Islands Maori | 117 | 0.4% |
| Middle Eastern | 105 | 0.4% |
| Other Pacific Peoples | 93 | 0.3% |
| Latin American | 93 | 0.3% |
| European nfd | 69 | 0.2% |
| African | 66 | 0.2% |
| Asian nfd | 60 | 0.2% |
| Tokelauan | 39 | 0.1% |
| Niuean | 27 | 0.1% |
| Pacific Peoples nfd | 12 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8
Is Timaru 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 Timaru 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.
How many people live in Timaru?
The published population was 28,095 people in March 2023. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.
Is the air quality good in Timaru?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 15 µg/m³ (2012) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.
What is the unemployment rate in Timaru?
The unemployment rate is 2.8 % (2023). Source: Stats NZ.
How many foreign residents live in Timaru?
7,608 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.
Is Timaru a good place to live?
Timaru 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 Timaru?
The official country of birth distribution records 453 people (1.6%) 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). Timaru, New Zealand: jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/timaru/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_timaru-new-zealand-jobs-air-quality_0f99371dcf3e,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Timaru, New Zealand: jobs, air quality},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-12},
version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/timaru/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Timaru, New Zealand: jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/timaru/) — 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
- cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
- 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
- OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
- 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 tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
- 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
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.