Elsdon, New Zealand

Elsdon
Suburb
Elsdon and the surrounding area, seen in the back right, viewed from Aotea Lagoon.
Country	New Zealand
Region	Wellington
City	Porirua City
Local authority	Porirua City Council
Electoral ward	Onepoto General Ward Porirua Māori Ward
Area
• Land	1,029 ha (2,543 acres)
Population  (June 2024)
• Total	2,510

	Takapūwāhia
Colonial Knob	Elsdon	Porirua CBD
	Kenepuru

Elsdon is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Porirua located immediately to the west to of the city's CBD. The area was named after Elsdon Best, a historian who studied archaeological sites in the area. Its industrial area, the largest in the city, is known for housing the factory used by New Zealand chocolate company Whittaker's; constructed in 1969, it remains the company's sole production site to this day.

Demographics

Elsdon is combined with the neighbouring suburb of Takapūwāhia for statistical purposes. The Elsdon-Takapuwahia statistical area covers 10.29 km² (3.97 sq mi) and also includes the large rural area of Colonial Knob to the west. It had an estimated population of 2,510 as of June 2024, with a population density of 243.93 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	2,217	—
2013	2,157	−0.39%
2018	2,418	+2.31%
Source:

Elsdon-Takapuwahia had a population of 2,418 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 261 people (12.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 201 people (9.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 696 households, comprising 1,194 males and 1,224 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 31.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 603 people (24.9%) aged under 15 years, 582 (24.1%) aged 15 to 29, 996 (41.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 240 (9.9%) aged 65 or older.

The percentage of people born overseas was 18.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 41.7% had no religion, 44.3% were Christian, 2.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.9% were Hindu, 0.5% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 267 (14.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 399 (22.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 153 people (8.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 849 (46.8%) people were employed full-time, 243 (13.4%) were part-time, and 135 (7.4%) were unemployed.

The census revealed numerous trends in the area that differ from New Zealand as a whole. Ethnically, the statistical area was 52.9% Māori, 47.8% European/Pākehā, 28.7% Pasifika, 10% Asian, 0.7% MELAA, and 0.6% other. Meanwhile, New Zealand in its entirety is 70.2% European and only 16.5% Māori. Other differences include a larger Christian population (44.3% in the area compared to 36.5% nationally) and lower median income ($25,700 in the area compared to $31,800 nationally).

Education

Porirua School, a co-educational state primary school for Years 1 to 6, is located in Elsdon. The roll was 160 as of August 2024.

OneSchool Global, a co-educational private composite school for Years 1 to 13 with numerous international sites, has a campus in the suburb.

High school students living in Elsdon are zoned for the state secondary school Mana College in Takapūwāhia.