Springlands is a suburb to the west of Blenheim's central district.[3] It is located on and around SH 6 (Nelson Street), the main road to Renwick. It has a tavern, various takeaways, and a superstore.
Demographics
Springlands covers 5.30 km2 (2.05 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 6,200 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 1,170 people per km2.
Before the 2023 census, the suburb had a smaller boundary, covering 4.19 km2 (1.62 sq mi).[1] Using that boundary, Springlands had a population of 5,880 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 504 people (9.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 864 people (17.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,262 households, comprising 2,754 males and 3,126 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female, with 948 people (16.1%) aged under 15 years, 894 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 2,385 (40.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,656 (28.2%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 86.6% European/Pākehā, 10.8% Māori, 4.1% Pasifika, 5.8% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 19.7, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.6% had no religion, 42.6% were Christian, 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 822 (16.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,071 (21.7%) people had no formal qualifications. 744 people (15.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,226 (45.1%) people were employed full-time, 714 (14.5%) were part-time, and 108 (2.2%) were unemployed.[4]
Springlands School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 380 students.[7] The school was established in 1886.[8]
Bohally Intermediate is a state intermediate (Year 7–8) school opened in 1957 following a split from Marlborough College. It has a roll of 526.
Marlborough Girls' College is a state girls' secondary (Year 9–13) school. It opened in 1963 following the split of Marlborough College into separate boys' and girls school, and has a roll of 934.
The first two schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of August 2024.[9]
Historic generating station
An industrial building on Old Renwick Road, adjacent to the Transpower substation, contains diesel generators that date back to 1930.
The Marlborough Region was not connected to the rest of the national grid until the mid-1950s. The supply of electricity to Marlborough was initially dependent on a small hydro station at Waihopai Valley. In 1930, a diesel generator was established at Springlands to provide backup power when hydrogeneration was not available. A further generator set was installed in 1937. These generators have been preserved by Marlborough Lines as part of the engineering heritage of electricity supply in the region.
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