View source for West Coast Region

{{Short description|Region of New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = West Coast
| native_name        = Te Tai Poutini
| native_name_lang   = mi
| settlement_type    = [[Regions of New Zealand|Region]]
| image_map          = {{New Zealand region map|West Coast|250px}}
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = West Coast Region in New Zealand
| coordinates        = {{coord|-42.6|171.4|region:NZ-WTC|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = New Zealand
| subdivision_type1  = Island
| subdivision_name1  = [[South Island]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| seat               = [[Greymouth]]
| parts_type         = Constituent [[Territorial authorities of New Zealand|territorial authorities]]
| parts_style        = list
| p1                 = [[Buller District]]
| p2                 = [[Grey District]]
| p3                 = [[Westland District]]
| government_type    = [[Regions of New Zealand|Regional council]]
| governing_body     = [[West Coast Region#Regional council|West Coast Regional Council]]
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Chair
| leader_name        = [[Peter Haddock]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/131608570/allan-birchfield-removed-as-west-coast-regional-council-chairperson |title=Allan Birchfield removed as West Coast Regional Council chairperson |date=28 March 2023 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |first=Joanne |last=Naish}}</ref>
| leader_title1       = Deputy Chair
| leader_name1        = Brett Cummings
| unit_pref          = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 
| area_land_km2      = 23245.52
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="Area"/>
| population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2018||||y}}
| population_total   = {{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}
| population_as_of   = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |date=24 March 2023 |title=Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2022 |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/regional-gross-domestic-product-year-ended-march-2022/ |access-date=4 April 2023 |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]] 2.101 billion (2021) ([[List of regions of New Zealand by GDP|15th]])
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = NZ$ 64,063 (2021)
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2023)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.918<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/NZL/?levels=1+4&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|access-date=2025-11-15}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of regions of New Zealand by Human Development Index|12th]]
| timezone1          = 
| utc_offset1        = 
| timezone1_DST      = 
| utc_offset1_DST    = 
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| website            = {{URL|westcoast.co.nz}}
| official_name      = 
}}
The '''West Coast''' ({{langx|mi|Te Tai Poutini|lit=The Coast of Poutini, the [[Taniwha]]}})<ref>{{Cite web|last=He Korero Pūrākau Mo Ngā Taunahanahatanga a Ngā Tūpuna (Place Names Of The Ancestors) – A Māori Oral History Atlas|date=14 September 2018|title=Poutini: A Guardian Taniwha|url=https://www.linz.govt.nz/regulatory/place-names/about-new-zealand-geographic-board/nzgb-place-name-maps-and-publications/he-korero-p%C5%ABr%C4%81kau-mo-ng%C4%81-taunahanahatanga-ng%C4%81-t%C5%ABpuna/poutini-guardian-taniwha#:~:text=Poutini%20is%20the%20name%20of,or%20mauri%20of%20pounamu%2C%20greenstone.&text=The%20mana%20or%20spiritual%20force,is%20the%20servant%20of%20Kahue.|access-date=26 November 2021|website=[[Land Information New Zealand]]}}</ref> is a [[regions of New Zealand|region of New Zealand]] on the west coast of the [[South Island]]. It is administered by the '''West Coast Regional Council''', and is known co-officially as '''Te Tai Poutini'''. It comprises the [[Territorial authorities of New Zealand|territorial authorities]] of [[Buller District]], [[Grey District]] and [[Westland District]]. The principal towns are [[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]], [[Greymouth]] and [[Hokitika]]. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 October 2023 |title=Population growth in all New Zealand regions |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/population-growth-in-all-new-zealand-regions/ |website=Statistics New Zealand}}</ref>

The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the [[Carboniferous period]]; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially [[coal]]. First settled by [[Ngāi Tahu|Kāi Tahu]] in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in [[pounamu]] greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern [[New Zealand dollar]]s' worth of the stone across [[New Zealand]], making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Encounters {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/encounters|access-date=2021-11-26|website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>

After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped [[gold]] reserves, which historically had not been highly valued.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=Māori and Chinese miners|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/gold-and-gold-mining/page-10|access-date=2021-11-26|website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |language=en}}</ref> The region was subsequently settled by thousands of [[Irish Catholics]] after the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Irish Famine]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=Settlement|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/irish/page-5|access-date=2021-11-26|website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |language=en}}</ref> who constitute the majority of the population, alongside the indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. The West Coast is the only region of New Zealand where [[coal mining]] is still widely practiced.

==Naming==
The name ''Westland'' is used by some New Zealanders to refer to the whole of the West Coast, including [[Grey District]], [[Buller District]] and [[Fiordland]],{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} and can also refer to the short-lived [[Westland Province]] of 1873–76.

[[Fiordland]] is on the west coast, but is in the [[Southland Region]] rather than the West Coast Region.

Inhabitants of the West Coast are colloquially known as "Coasters".<ref>[http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/regions/west-coast/regional-information.html West Coast – Regional Information] (from 'New Zealand Tourism Online' website)</ref><ref>[http://new-zealand-travel-guide.com/westcoast.htm The West Coast New Zealand] (from 'A New Zealand Travel Guide' website)</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:2023 NZ Census Population Density - West Coast Region.png|thumb|right|250px| A map showing population density in the West Coast Region at the 2023 census]]
{{See also|Geology of the West Coast Region}}
The region reaches from [[Kahurangi Point]] in the north to [[Awarua Point]] in the south, a distance of {{convert|600|km|abbr=off}}. It has an area of 23,246&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. To the west is the [[Tasman Sea]] (which like the [[Southern Ocean]] can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the [[Southern Alps]]. Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of the population resides. It is divided into the three [[Territorial authorities of New Zealand|local government districts]] of (from north to south) [[Buller District|Buller]], [[Grey District|Grey]] and [[Westland District|Westland]].

[[File:Punakaiki - looking south.jpg|thumb|left|Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki]]
[[File:MotukiekieRocksNov292024 02.jpg|thumb|left|Motukiekie Rocks]]
The land has wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native [[forest|bush]], much of it native temperate [[rain forest]]. It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain: elsewhere, for instance on the [[Canterbury Plains]] and in the [[Firth of Thames]], they have been almost completely destroyed for settlement and agriculture.

Scenic areas include the [[Haast Pass]], [[Fox Glacier|Fox]] and [[Franz Josef Glacier]]s, [[Hokitika Gorge]], [[Lake Brunner]], the [[Pancake Rocks and Blowholes|Pancake Rocks]] at [[Punakaiki]], the [[Oparara Basin Arches|Oparara Arches]] and the [[Heaphy Track]].

The region has very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and the location of the Southern Alps, which give rise to heavy [[orographic]] [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]]. The [[rain shadow]] effect is responsible for the relatively arid climate of the Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps.
*
{{Weather box
| location = [[Hokitika Airport]] (1936–2015, Humidity 1961–2015, Sunshine 1964–2015)
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| width = 
| Jan high C = 19.4
| Feb high C = 19.8
| Mar high C = 18.8
| Apr high C = 16.6
| May high C = 14.3
| Jun high C = 12.3
| Jul high C = 11.9
| Aug high C = 12.6
| Sep high C = 13.8
| Oct high C = 14.9
| Nov high C = 16.4
| Dec high C = 18.2
| year high C = 15.7
| Jan low C = 11.7
| Feb low C = 11.9
| Mar low C = 10.7
| Apr low C = 8.5
| May low C = 6.0
| Jun low C = 3.8
| Jul low C = 2.9
| Aug low C = 4.0
| Sep low C = 5.8
| Oct low C = 7.3
| Nov low C = 8.7
| Dec low C = 10.7
| year low C = 7.7
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 242.3
| Feb rain mm = 178.9
| Mar rain mm = 215.0
| Apr rain mm = 235.8
| May rain mm = 242.1
| Jun rain mm = 249.3
| Jul rain mm = 219.3
| Aug rain mm = 231.9
| Sep rain mm = 256.5
| Oct rain mm = 276.3
| Nov rain mm = 239.6
| Dec rain mm = 268.5
| year rain mm = 2849.7
| Jan rain days = 12.4
| Feb rain days = 10.4
| Mar rain days = 12.6
| Apr rain days = 13.3
| May rain days = 14.7
| Jun rain days = 13.8
| Jul rain days = 13.5
| Aug rain days = 14.8
| Sep rain days = 16.8
| Oct rain days = 17.3
| Nov rain days = 15.0
| Dec rain days = 15.8
| year rain days = 170.5
| unit rain days = 1.0 mm
| Jan sun = 209.5
| Feb sun = 186.8
| Mar sun = 171.9
| Apr sun = 139.9
| May sun = 119.2
| Jun sun = 104.0
| Jul sun = 124.3
| Aug sun = 138.9
| Sep sun = 142.8
| Oct sun = 164.1
| Nov sun = 181.1
| Dec sun = 194.6
| year sun = 1877.0
| source 1 = CliFlo<ref name= CliFlo>
  {{cite web
  |url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz
  |title = CliFlo – National Climate Database
  |publisher = NIWA
  |access-date = 13 December 2015}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
| location = West Coast
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| width = 
| Jan record high C = 34.5
| Feb record high C = 33.5
| Mar record high C = 30.2
| Apr record high C = 26.0
| May record high C = 26.7
| Jun record high C = 21.4
| Jul record high C = 20.0
| Aug record high C = 20.8
| Sep record high C = 24.8
| Oct record high C = 26.2
| Nov record high C = 30.9
| Dec record high C = 30.6
| year record high C = 34.5
| Jan high C = 19.9
| Feb high C = 20.4
| Mar high C = 19.1
| Apr high C = 16.6
| May high C = 14.2
| Jun high C = 11.9
| Jul high C = 11.6
| Aug high C = 12.5
| Sep high C = 13.9
| Oct high C = 15.1
| Nov high C = 16.7
| Dec high C = 18.5
| year high C = 15.9
| Jan mean C = 15.5
| Feb mean C = 15.9
| Mar mean C = 14.6
| Apr mean C = 12.2
| May mean C = 9.9
| Jun mean C = 7.7
| Jul mean C = 7.1
| Aug mean C = 8.1
| Sep mean C = 9.6
| Oct mean C = 11.0
| Nov mean C = 12.5
| Dec mean C = 14.3
| year mean C = 11.5
| Jan low C = 11.2
| Feb low C = 11.4
| Mar low C = 10.1
| Apr low C = 7.9
| May low C = 5.7
| Jun low C = 3.6
| Jul low C = 2.7
| Aug low C = 3.8
| Sep low C = 5.4
| Oct low C = 6.9
| Nov low C = 8.3
| Dec low C = 10.2
| year low C = 7.3
| Jan record low C = 0.2
| Feb record low C = 0.1
| Mar record low C = -2.5
| Apr record low C = -5.0
| May record low C = -8.0
| Jun record low C = -9.2
| Jul record low C = -9.2
| Aug record low C = -7.0
| Sep record low C = -7.1
| Oct record low C = -6.4
| Nov record low C = -3.0
| Dec record low C = -2.0
| year record low C = -9.2
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 267.8
| Feb rain mm = 219.9
| Mar rain mm = 239.7
| Apr rain mm = 248.7
| May rain mm = 250.2
| Jun rain mm = 250.0
| Jul rain mm = 213.2
| Aug rain mm = 254.5
| Sep rain mm = 276.0
| Oct rain mm = 272.3
| Nov rain mm = 260.2
| Dec rain mm = 305.5
| year rain mm = 3058.0
| Jan rain days = 14.5
| Feb rain days = 12.6
| Mar rain days = 14.7
| Apr rain days = 15.1
| May rain days = 16.6
| Jun rain days = 15.8
| Jul rain days = 15.5
| Aug rain days = 17.2
| Sep rain days = 19.3
| Oct rain days = 19.6
| Nov rain days = 17.5
| Dec rain days = 18.0
| year rain days = 196.4
| unit rain days = 1.0 mm
| source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name= Weatherbase>
  {{cite web
  |url = https://www.weatherbase.com/
  |title = Weatherbase
  |publisher = CantyMedia
  |access-date = 20 March 2021}}</ref>
}}

==History==
[[File:Dillman Town.jpg|thumb|270px|[[Dillmanstown]], a gold mining town]]<!-- this image is width-forced to the infobox width – please adapt if infobox width changes -->

The region is home to [[Ngāi Tahu]], who value it for the [[Nephrite jade|greenstone]] (pounamu) found there in abundance.

The region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of [[gold]] near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around the Hokitika area, which in 1866 was briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand.

The region was divided between [[Nelson Province]] and [[Canterbury Province]] from 1853: in 1873 the Canterbury portion of the region formed its own province, the [[Westland Province]], until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876.
[[File:TWC Fox • Nimmo • MRD 23.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|374x374px|[[Fox Glacier]], a popular visitor destination on the West Coast]]
The [[West Coast gold rush]] between 1864 and 1867 created numerous gold rush towns such as Ōkārito, which at one time was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established.

Following greenstone and gold, the next valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the [[Buller River]] in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s coal had become the region's main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around [[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]]. Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, and several survive. In the 1950s there was a brief [[uranium]] rush after radioactive minerals were found in the [[Buller Gorge]] in 1955, but the deposits were not found to be commercially viable.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=West Coast uranium rush, 1955–56|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/radioactive-minerals/page-2|access-date=2021-11-26|website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |language=en}}</ref>

Timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the [[New Zealand Department of Conservation|Department of Conservation]] and the region has some of the best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. [[Ecotourism]] is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts.

==Population==
The West Coast Region covers {{Convert|23245.52|km2||abbr=on}}<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=8 October 2024|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref> and has an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|||}}, {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}}% of New Zealand's population. It is the least populous of New Zealand's sixteen regions.<ref name="NZ_population_data_2018" /> The West Coast is also the most sparsely populated region, with just {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}/23245.52|2}} people per square kilometre ({{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}/8975.15|2}} per square mile).

{{Historical populations
|1991|31,563
|1996|32,511
|2001|30,303
|2006|31,326
|2013|32,148
|2018|31,575
|2023|33,390
|percentages=pagr|align=left|source=<ref name="Census 2023"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2001-census-data/2001-census-regional-summary.aspx|title=2001 Census: Regional summary|website=archive.stats.govt.nz|language=en-nz|access-date=2020-04-28|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929211821/http://archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2001-census-data/2001-census-regional-summary.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
[[File:Knight's Point, West Coast.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Knights Point]], typical rugged coastline of the West Coast]]<!-- this image is width-forced to the infobox width – please adapt if infobox width changes -->
West Coast Region had a population of 33,390 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 1,815 people (5.7%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 1,242 people (3.9%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 17,031 males, 16,245 females and 117 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 14,793 dwellings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.12.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}}</ref> 2.7% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. The median age was 48.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,448 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,518 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,861 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,563 (22.7%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.7% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 13.5% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 1.6% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; 4.0% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]]; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). [[New Zealand Sign Language]] was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 29.8% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 0.6% [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 0.2% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], 0.3% [[Religion of Māori people|Māori religious beliefs]], 0.4% [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]], 0.7% [[New Age]], 0.1% [[Judaism in New Zealand|Jewish]],  and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 57.8%, and 9.0% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,658 (9.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,825 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,490 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $32,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,956 people (7.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 12,819 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,101 (14.7%) were part-time, and 687 (2.5%) were unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.12.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=West Coast Region (12)}}</ref>

=== Cities and towns ===
There are five towns with a population over 1,000: [[Greymouth]], [[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]], [[Hokitika]], [[Runanga, New Zealand|Runanga]] and [[Reefton]]. These five towns are recognised as urban areas by Statistics New Zealand.

During the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 with more than 100 [[pub]]s. A recreation of an [[history of New Zealand|early New Zealand]] settlement is at [[Shantytown, New Zealand|Shantytown]].
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Urban area
! Population<br />{{small|({{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||)}}}}
! % of region
|-
|[[Greymouth]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Greymouth|y}}
| align="right" |{{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Greymouth|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Westport|y}}
| align="right" |{{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Westport|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Hokitika]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Hokitika|y}}
| align="right" |{{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Hokitika|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Runanga, New Zealand|Runanga]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Runanga|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Runanga|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Reefton]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Reefton|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Reefton|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Dobson, New Zealand|Dobson]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Dobson|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Dobson|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Kaniere]]
| align="right" |570
| align="right" |1.7%
|-
|[[Gloriavale Christian Community|Gloriavale]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Gloriavale|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Gloriavale|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Karamea]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Karamea|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Karamea|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|-
|[[Franz Josef / Waiau|Franz Josef]]
| align="right" | {{NZ population data 2018|Franz Josef|y}}
| align="right" | {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Franz Josef|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|1}}%
|}
Other towns and settlements include:

* [[Ahaura]]
* [[Blackball, New Zealand|Blackball]]
* [[Carters Beach]]
* [[Fox Glacier (town)|Fox Glacier]]
* [[Granity]]
* [[Haast, New Zealand|Haast]]
* [[Hari Hari]]
* [[Kaniere]]
* [[Kumara, New Zealand|Kumara]]
* [[Hector and Ngakawau|Ngakawau]]
* [[Ross, New Zealand|Ross]]
* [[Waimangaroa]]

<gallery mode="nolines" widths="200">
File:Greymouth Town Clock.jpg|[[Greymouth]]
File:Hokitika Clock Tower.jpg|[[Hokitika]]
File:Westport Municipal Chambers 2019.jpg|[[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]]
File:TWC Reefton • Stewart Nimmo • MRD 3.jpg|[[Reefton]]
</gallery>

== Regional council ==
The West Coast Region is governed by the West Coast Regional Council. Currently, it is chaired by Peter Haddock.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your Councillors – The West Coast Regional Council |url=https://www.wcrc.govt.nz/council/your-councillors |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.wcrc.govt.nz}}</ref>

=== Councillors ===
* Brett Cummings
* Allan Birchfield
* Andy Campbell
* Chris Coll
* Mark McIntyre
* Peter Ewen

== Economy ==
The subnational [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the West Coast was estimated at NZ$2,373 million in the year to March 2022, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $72,127 in the same period.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2022 |title=West Coast Region economic profile |url=https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/West%2520Coast%2520Region |website=Infometrics}}</ref>

The region had one of the strongest growing regional economies of New Zealand in 2022,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Quinlivan |first=Mark |date=19 August 2022 |title=West Coast revealed as New Zealand's fastest growing economic region in new Infometrics figures |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/08/west-coast-revealed-as-new-zealand-s-fastest-growing-economic-region-in-new-infometrics-figures.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830220231/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/08/west-coast-revealed-as-new-zealand-s-fastest-growing-economic-region-in-new-infometrics-figures.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 August 2022 |website=[[Newshub]] }}</ref> though from a rather small base.

Industries include [[mining]] for [[coal]] and [[placer deposit|alluvial]] [[gold]], [[forestry]] and wood processing, [[fishing]] (including [[whitebait]]ing), [[tourism]] and farming.

Dairy farming has grown strongly – the local dairy co-operative [[Westland Milk Products]] remained independent when most others merged to form [[Fonterra]] in 2001. In the 2019–2020 season, there were 150,000 milking cows on the West Coast, 3.0% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 50,700 tonnes of milk solids, worth $365 million at the national average farmgate price ($7.20 per kg).<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2019–20|url=https://www.dairynz.co.nz/publications/dairy-industry/new-zealand-dairy-statistics-2019-20/|access-date=2021-03-08|website=dairynz.co.nz|language=en}}</ref>

Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of [[Pounamu|greenstone]] jewellery, [[sphagnum moss]] gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. [[Monteith's]] brewery is in Greymouth.

The region has been included in the "Top 10 Coastal Drives of the World" by ''[[Lonely Planet]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=West Coast, New Zealand official site: Find activities, accommodation, events|url=http://www.westcoastnz.com|access-date=2012-10-16|publisher=Westcoastnz.com}}</ref>

== Flora and fauna ==
The region has the only New Zealand nesting place of the [[eastern great egret|kōtuku (white heron)]], at the [[Waitangiroto Nature Reserve]], visited by tours from the small farming township of [[Whataroa]]. This rare bird appears on the $2 coin.<ref>[http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/0101459.html New Zealand Coinage Specifications] (from the [[Reserve Bank of New Zealand]] website. Accessed 2008-03-26.)</ref>

The region is recorded as having over 175 taxa of marine algal flora from historic and recent collections in the region.<ref name=":0" /> Significant features of the region's algal flora are hard to discern on the basis of existing knowledge, but include the virtual absence of some common New Zealand species, and extensions to the known distribution of others.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Neale |first1=Don |last2=Nelson |first2=Wendy |date=1998-06-30 |title=Marine Algae of the West Coast, South Island, New Zealand |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/34129/ |journal=Tuhinga |language=en |volume=10 |pages=87–117 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.10.e34129 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref>

Over 80% of West Coast land is administered by the Department of Conservation, much of this being in National Parks.  These include from north to south, parts of Kahurangi NP, Paparoa NP, parts of Arthurs Pass NP, Westland NP, parts of Aspiring NP plus the South Westland World Heritage Area.  Each of these parks have flora and fauna common to all areas, as well as species, like kiwi, particular to those areas.

== Transport ==
Four roads run into the West Coast Region. The main road running the length of the region is [[State Highway 6 (New Zealand)|State Highway 6]]. It connects to the [[Tasman District]] in the north through the [[Buller Gorge]], and to [[Otago]] in the south via [[Haast Pass / Tioripatea|Haast Pass]]. Two roads connect to [[Canterbury region|Canterbury]] to the east, [[State Highway 7 (New Zealand)|State Highway 7]] through [[Lewis Pass]] to North Canterbury and [[State Highway 73 (New Zealand)|State Highway 73]] via [[Arthur's Pass (mountain pass)|Arthur's Pass]] to [[Christchurch]].

The [[Midland Line, New Zealand|Midland railway line]] is the only railway line into the region. It links to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. The [[TranzAlpine]] train service runs return between Christchurch and Greymouth daily and freight lines extend to [[Stillwater–Ngākawau Line|Ngākawau]] and [[Ross Branch (railway line)|Hokitika]].

Daily passenger flights operate into the region. Air New Zealand flies between Christchurch and Hokitika and Sounds Air between [[Wellington]] and Westport.

==See also==
*[[Public transport in New Zealand]]
*[[Water pollution in the West Coast, New Zealand]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|West Coast (New Zealand)}}
{{Commons category|West Coast Region}}
* [http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/ West Coast Regional Council]
* [http://www.westcoast.co.nz West Coast New Zealand]
* [http://dwc.org.nz/ Development West Coast]
* [http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Heritage/Maps/213795.asp Map (1900s) of West Coast]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/policies-and-plans/conservation-management-strategies/west-coast/|title=West Coast Conservation Management Strategy Volume 1 2010–2020 |year=2010|publisher=Department of Conservation}}
* [http://www.westmarine.org.nz/ West Coast Marine Protection Forum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605022601/http://www.westmarine.org.nz/ |date=5 June 2010 }}

{{Regions of New Zealand}}
{{Grey River}}
{{Buller District}}
{{Grey District}}
{{Westland District}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:West Coast Region]]
[[Category:Regions of New Zealand]]