On this page

Living in Whangarei

Whangarei is a city in New Zealand. The city covers 63.53 km², with a population density of 922.1 people per km² in March 2023. Whangarei had a population of 53,841 in March 2023.

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

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 Whangarei yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

33% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 17,778 people of 53,841 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 Whangarei is 4.6%. 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%164–6Whangarei 4.6%8 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate4.6 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official

Public employment service

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

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport2 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights3Official
Nearest airportWRE3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official
Distance to nearest airport6 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

MetricValuePeriodSource
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 29.24 · Feb 31.44 · Mar 26.46 · Apr 25.08 · May 23.09 · Jun 20.49 · Jul 18.5 · Aug 18.93 · Sep 20.12 · Oct 22.29 · Nov 25.95 · Dec 26.87 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 13.08 · Feb 13.65 · Mar 11.78 · Apr 9.7 · May 6.51 · Jun 6.05 · Jul 5.44 · Aug 4.61 · Sep 6.29 · Oct 7.29 · Nov 9.01 · Dec 10.6 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Average temperature by monthJan 20.08 · Feb 20.69 · Mar 19.5 · Apr 17.59 · May 15.54 · Jun 13.58 · Jul 12.47 · Aug 12.58 · Sep 13.47 · Oct 14.65 · Nov 16.4 · Dec 18.61 °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
Whangarei residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport67%Foreign residents33%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area63.53 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 share18.4 %31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Foreign residents17,778 people31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Population density922.1 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
Population53,841 people7 Mar 2023Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population8Official

International community in Whangarei

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
Asia3,3066.2%
United Kingdom and Ireland2,6134.9%
Middle East and Africa1,3292.5%
Australia1,0472.0%
Pacific Islands7831.5%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)7381.4%
North America3780.7%
Other1170.2%

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
European36,86768.5%
Māori20,09737.3%
Asian4,7798.9%
Pacific Peoples3,0335.6%
Other Ethnicity5371.0%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African4050.8%

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
New Zealand European33,96063.1%
Māori20,09737.3%
Other European3,6426.8%
Indian1,8873.5%
Southeast Asian1,5842.9%
Samoan9991.9%
Cook Islands Maori8341.5%
Chinese7081.3%
Other Asian5641.0%
Other Ethnicity5371.0%
Show 11 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Tongan3900.7%
Niuean3840.7%
Fijian3420.6%
Other Pacific Peoples3060.6%
European nfd2370.4%
African1500.3%
Latin American1440.3%
Middle Eastern1110.2%
Asian nfd810.2%
Tokelauan420.1%
Pacific Peoples nfd90.0%

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

Is Whangarei 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 44–66%
Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–71%
Student56%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 44–68%
Family55%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–67%
Retirement51%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 37–65%
Foreign residents17,778 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population53,841 people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population
Unemployment rate4.6 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
City area63.53 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 share18.4 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population density922.1 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 Whangarei 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 Whangarei?

The unemployment rate is 4.6 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Whangarei?

The published population is 53,841 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Whangarei?

17,778 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Whangarei a good place to live?

Whangarei 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 Whangarei?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,047 people (2.0%) 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). Whangarei, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/whangarei/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_whangarei-new-zealand-jobs-climate_8755c4e265f2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Whangarei, 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/whangarei/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Whangarei, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/whangarei/) — 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.