The Kaikōura District (/kaɪˈkɔːrə/; Māori pronunciation: [kaiˈkoːuɾa]) is a territorial authority district in Canterbury Region on the South Island of New Zealand. The district encompasses the eponymous town of Kaikōura, a number of small towns and settlements and the surrounding rural area in northern Canterbury. The district had an estimated population of 4,410 as of June 2024.

The Kaikōura District extends from the Pacific Ocean to the highest points of the Kaikōura Ranges to the west, and along the coastline from Oaro in the south, to just beyond Kekerengu in the north.

Populated places within the district, aside from Kaikōura township, include:

The Kaikōura District Council (Māori: Ko te kaunihera ā rohe o Kaikōura) administers the district. The council consists of a mayor and seven councillors. Elections for positions on the council are held every three years in conjunction with nationwide local elections.

During the era of provincial government from 1853, the Kaikōura region was initially part of the Nelson Province, and was represented at the Nelson Provincial Council through the Amuri electorate. When the Marlborough Province split off from the Nelson Province, Kaikōura became part of that new province, with the Conway River as the new southern boundary. From 1860, the Kaikōura region was represented on the Marlborough Provincial Council first through the Flaxbourne and Clarence electorate, then the Clarence electorate, and finally the Awatere electorate. Provincial government was abolished at the end of 1876, and counties were formed instead.

From 1877, Kaikōura was governed by Kaikoura County. The county's boundary was adjusted northwards in 1940 to take over most of the East Coast Riding of Awatere County. There were also desires for land from Cheviot County to transfer to Kaikoura County, but the petition lapsed. In 1952, there were moves for a borough to be formed for Kaikōura township, but the underlying concerns which led to this initiative were addressed in different ways and no borough was formed. A 1971 scheme to form a Hurunui County would have seen Kaikoura County lose the area south of the Hundalee Hills, but this did not proceed.

The 1989 local government reforms disestablished all counties, and district and regional councils were formed instead. Kaikōura District was formed in the process, with the land south of the Hundalee Hills transferred to Hurunui District as per the 1971 proposal. At a regional level, Kaikōura belonged to the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council. When the regional council was disestablished in 1992 after only three years, and its functions went to the unitary authorities of Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council, and Marlborough District Council, Kaikōura transferred to the Canterbury Regional Council. In 1993, an elector-initiated appeal wanted the northern 59% of Kaikōura District to be transferred to Marlborough District, but this was rejected by the Local Government Commission. There was a further elector-initiated proposal for Kaikoura District to merge with Hurunui District, but the Local Government Commission rejected this in 2009.

In terms of its provincial anniversary holiday, Kaikōura observes the anniversary of Marlborough Province due to its historic association. This meant that the public holiday established through the Canterbury Earthquake Commemoration Day Act 2011 did not apply in Kaikōura District, as it only applied to the area where the Canterbury Anniversary Day is observed.

Kaikōura District covers 2,046.85 km (790.29 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 4,410 as of June 2024, with a population density of 2.2 people per km.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	3,621	—
2013	3,552	−0.27%
2018	3,912	+1.95%
2023	4,215	+1.50%
Source:

Kaikōura District had a population of 4,215 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 303 people (7.7%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 663 people (18.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 2,100 males, 2,112 females and 6 people of other genders in 1,779 dwellings. 1.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 50.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 645 people (15.3%) aged under 15 years, 531 (12.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,911 (45.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,128 (26.8%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 87.0% European (Pākehā); 19.0% Māori; 1.0% Pasifika; 3.9% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.4%, Māori language by 3.6%, Samoan by 0.1% and other languages by 6.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.2% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 32.2% Christian, 0.4% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 0.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.7%, and 7.7% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 417 (11.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,992 (55.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,038 (29.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 213 people (6.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,605 (45.0%) people were employed full-time, 621 (17.4%) were part-time, and 42 (1.2%) were unemployed.

In 2020, the GDP of the Kaikōura District was $232 million, with an annual growth for the region of 1.6%. Tourism contributed $57 million to total GDP in Kaikoura District in 2020, and was the top overall category, as shown in this table comparing district and national share of GDP:

Industry	Kaikoura District GDP share (%)	National GDP share (%)
Tourism	24.8	5.1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	19.4	5.0
Construction	10.9	6.5
Transport, postal and warehousing	8.5	4.2
Accommodation and food services	8.5	2.1

Employment in the district was 2,007 (filled jobs) in 2020, with an annual growth rate of 1.4%. The top 5 industries (based on ANZSIC categories), by share of employment in the Kaikōura District in 2020, compared with the national share for that year were:

Industry	Kaikoura District Share of filled jobs (%)	National Share of filled jobs (%)
Accommodation and food services	17.8	6.7
Construction	14.4	9.8
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	14.4	5.4
Retail trade	10.9	8.9
Transport, postal and warehousing	8.1	4.2

• List of historic places in Kaikōura District

• Kaikōura District Council