Napier-Hastings Urban Area

Napier-Hastings Urban Area
Location in New Zealand
Napier-Hastings Urban Area Hastings/Napier
Coordinates:
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
Area
• Territorial	5,335 km2 (2,060 sq mi)
Population (June 2015 estimate)
• Territorial	139,600
• Density	26/km2 (68/sq mi)
• Urban	129,700
Postcodes	4120, 4122

The Napier-Hastings Urban Area lies mostly on the Heretaunga Plains of the Hawke's Bay Region in New Zealand and is based on the twin cities of Napier and Hastings. It is the sixth most populous urban area in the country, with 129,700 residents, just slightly fewer than Tauranga (130,800).

While the two cities remain separated by 9 km (5.6 mi) of rural land from city edge to edge (20 km from one city centre to the next), there is sufficient economic and social integration between the cities for Statistics New Zealand to aggregate them into a single unit. However, like the urban areas of Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington, the Napier-Hastings urban area is subdivided into urban zones. The urban area contains around three quarters of the population of the entire Hawke's Bay.

If Hastings and Napier were to amalgamate they would become the fifth most populous city in New Zealand after Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton.

Satellite photo of southern Hawke Bay, including all of the Napier-Hastings Urban Area

Amalgamation

Amalgamation is an ongoing debate for Napier and Hastings residents. Both cities have previously had smaller amalgamations (Napier absorbed Taradale, Hastings absorbed Havelock North in the local government reforms of 1989).

There was a referendum on forming a joint Hastings and Napier in 1999, which resulted in 75% 'no' vote from Napier residents, and a 64% 'yes' vote from Hastings residents. Many say the referendum was called too early and many Napier residents were still bitter about the closing of Napier Hospital in 1998 and making Hastings Hospital the only public hospital in the region.

A proposal in 2015 was for the new council is to also absorb the Wairoa and Central Hawkes Bay councils to make a super regional council of 150,000 people. This amalgamation referendum was held in September 2015, the majority of voters (~66%) rejected the proposal in favour of the status quo.

Part of recognition of New Zealand's 5th largest population centre is being labelled that way. Many residents have bought forth renaming the city to reflect this to the rest of the nation instead of referring to the cities by their current separate names. Names proposed include:

• Heretaunga (the name of the plains that both cities are situated)
• Hawkes Bay City (reflecting both recognised location and 'city' status)
• Hawke (again, coinciding with the name of the region)
• The Bay City (This perhaps is more in jest, and is already a common nickname)
• Napier-Hastings (The status quo, but still does not address the issue)

Napier Urban Zone

Napier Urban Zone includes Napier and two tracts of rural land from Hastings District: Bay View to the north and Waiohiki to the south. It also includes the township of Taradale.

Napier hosts the region's only port (the majority of export coming from Hastings' industry and food processing), the region's domestic airport, High Court, the local polytechnic college, and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council headquarters.

Napier on its own is the 10th largest urban area in New Zealand.

Hastings Urban Zone

Hastings Urban Zone is completely within Hastings District and includes Havelock North and Flaxmere. The Hastings District Council consists of almost half of the total population of Hawke's Bay, with 74,000 people. The main urban zone of Hastings however contains around 60,000 people.

Hastings has gained a few services from Napier, for example, Napier Hospital was closed and services moved to Hastings Hospital, which became Hawkes Bay Hospital, around the end of the last century. Hastings also contains the region's only showgrounds, racecourse, newspaper print, sports park and Waterpark.

Hastings on its own is the 8th largest urban area in New Zealand.