Waikato

The Waikato region is located in the North Island and stretches from Lake Taupo and northern King Country in the south, north to the Coromandel Peninsula. It is the fourth largest region in the New Zealand, both in terms of area and population. The region spreads out over 25,000 km” and is home to 402,200 people.

Hamilton is Waikato’s major urban centre, with a population of 158,500. It is home to the University of Waikato, one of New Zealand’s main tertiary education institutions.

Around 75% of the Waikato population lives in urban areas. The median age of the population sits at 35.5 years, compared to the national average of 35.9.

The Waikato region’s GDP for the year that ended in March 2007 was $15.6 billion, about 9% of the country’s total. Labour productivity, or value added per full-time equivalent employee in the Waikato Region was NZ$82,700.

The largest industries in the region are dairy cattle farming, real estate and construction.