Parnassus, New Zealand

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Parnassus
Locality
Parnassus New Zealand.JPG
The former supermarket at Parnassus
Parnassus, New Zealand
Coordinates: 42°43′S173°18′E / 42.717°S 173.300°E / -42.717; 173.300
Country New Zealand
Region Canterbury
Territorial authority Hurunui District
WardEast Ward
Electorates
Government
  Territorial Authority Hurunui District Council
  Regional council Environment Canterbury
   Mayor of Hurunui Marie Black
   Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith
   Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris
Time zone UTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
  Summer (DST) UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Parnassus is a locality in the Canterbury region's Hurunui District on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the north bank of the Waiau River.

Contents

It takes its name from a local sheep run owned by a classical scholar, Edward Lee. He saw a likeness between a local hill and the Greek Mount Parnassus, mythical home of the god Apollo and the Muses. [1]

State Highway 1 passes through the town on its route from Cheviot to Kaikōura, and the Main North Line railway from Christchurch to Picton also runs through the town. At one stage, the Waiau Branch was intended to be the main line north and a branch line diverged from the Waiau route in Waipara to service coastal communities. This line was opened to Parnassus in 1912 and was known as the Parnassus Branch at that stage. However, the decision was made to use the Parnassus route as the main line, relegating the route from Waipara through the Weka Pass to Waiau to the status of branch line. The Main North Line was completed in 1945 and continues to serve Parnassus today.

The epicentre of the 1901 Cheviot earthquake was at Parnassus.

Demographics

The Parnassus statistical area, which includes Cheviot, covers 994.57 km2 (384.01 sq mi). [2] It had an estimated population of 1,370 as of June 2023, [3] with a population density of 1.4 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,272    
20131,308+0.40%
20181,323+0.23%
Source: [4]
Parnassus Roadhouse Parnassus Roadhouse.JPG
Parnassus Roadhouse

Parnassus had a population of 1,323 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 15 people (1.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 51 people (4.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 546 households, comprising 657 males and 666 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 47.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 273 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 153 (11.6%) aged 15 to 29, 612 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 285 (21.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 93.9% European/Pākehā, 11.8% Māori, 1.6% Pasifika, 1.1% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 10.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.7% had no religion, 34.9% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 0.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 156 (14.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 219 (20.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 117 people (11.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 504 (48.0%) people were employed full-time, 222 (21.1%) were part-time, and 18 (1.7%) were unemployed. [4]

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References

  1. Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Cheviot district
  2. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  3. "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand . Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Parnassus (312500). 2018 Census place summary: Parnassus

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