For most of the year, the population of the Thames-Coromandel District is around 26,000 people.
However, over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, the Coromandel Peninsula experiences a large influx of both part-time residents returning to their holiday homes and baches, and visitors from both New Zealand and overseas. This influx causes the population to increase to many times that of the usually resident population. This is known as the 'peak' population.
It is important that the Thames-Coromandel District Council is able to access information on the peak population of both the District and its individual settlements.
The council undertakes a peak population survey and study every few years to keep information on its 'peak population' up to date.
As well as household survey, a number of other information sources are used to determine the District's peak population, for example, commercial accommodation figures, a campground survey, traffic counts and sewerage, water and rubbish and recycling data.
The council needs this information for monitoring, and planning for, the impact that the peak population has on existing and future infrastructure and services including water, sewerage, roads and parks and reserves. It can be used to make informed decisions regarding the provision of council infrastructure and services for the peak population, both now and in the future.
The council has just completed a recent peak population survey for the 07/08 summer holiday period. The results of this survey show that the holiday population peaked this season at around 137,700 on New Year's Eve. For an information leaflet summarising the results of this latest survey and report, click here.
For the full report please click here.
For information on the 2003/04 summer period peak population survey click on the links below. That study found the peak population of the district to be around 142,000 people on New Year's Eve.
Please click on the link below to download a copy of the 2003/04 Study:
Please click on the links below to download a copy of the 2005/06 Update (a supplementary update to the 2003/04 Study):
Due to the large size of this document, we have also divided the Peak Population Study 2005/06 Update into two sections: