What is the population of Blenheim, Marlborough?

Blenheim has a population of approximately 28,800 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Blenheim, Marlborough located?

Blenheim is located in Marlborough, New Zealand, at approximate coordinates -41.5119°, 173.9546°.

Terralocate

Browse / New Zealand / Marlborough / Blenheim

Blenheim

Marlboroughtown

Featured view

Blenheim

Total population

28,800

Land area103.89 km²

Coordinates-41.51°, 173.95°

Demographic figures from Stats NZ. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

Loading additional data from public sources…0 / 11

CensusWikipediaWeatherPlacesPeopleEnvironmentHealth & SchoolsRelatedGeography & CultureLive MonitoringEvents & Gallery

City facts

Area

103.89 km²

Time zone

UTC+12:00

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an estimated population of 29,800 as of June 2025. The surrounding Marlborough wine region is well known as the centre of the New Zealand wine industry. It enjoys one of New Zealand's sunniest climates, with warm, relatively dry summers and cool, crisp winters.

History & geography

History

The sheltered coastal bays of Marlborough supported a small Māori population possibly as early as the 12th century. Archaeological evidence dates Polynesian human remains uncovered at Wairau Bar to the 13th century. The rich sea and bird life of the area would easily have supported such small communities. As the Māori population of the area increased, they developed the land to sustain the growing population. In the early 1700s canals and waterways were dug among the natural river courses, allowing for the first forms of farming in the area including that of fish and native water fowl. A total of approximately 18 km of channels are known to have been excavated before the arrival of European settlers. Māori in the Marlborough Region also cultivated crops, including kūmara (sweet potato). The area is also home to the first serious clash of arms between Māori and the British settlers after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Wairau Affray which occurred in what is now the village of Tuamarina. The settlement was originally known to Europeans as The Beaver or Beaverton due to its frequent flooding. Although the early history of Marlborough was closely associated with the Nelson settlement, the people of Marlborough desired independence from Nelson. In 1859, nineteen years after the original Nelson settlement, the request of Marlborough settlers was granted, and Marlborough became a separate province. Although gold was discovered in the province in the early 1860s the resulting boom did not last, and while the gold rush helped to expand the region, it was the development of pastoralism which provided the greatest long-term benefits. Marlborough squatters developed huge sheep runs that dominated the countryside, rivalling Canterbury's sheep stations in size…

Geography

Situated on the Wairau Plain, the town is mostly flat with only its southernmost fringe rising to the base of the Wither Hills. As the plain is surrounded by mountains on all but the eastern flank, which is open to Cook Strait, it is relatively well protected from the frequent southerly weather fronts occurring during winters. The area does however experience some high wind events during the course of the year, especially from the west where the wind is funnelled down the Wairau Valley directly at the town. Open and exposed areas in and around Blenheim are also hit quite hard by winds blowing inland from Cook Strait. Blenheim sits at the confluence of the Taylor and Ōpaoa rivers. It is in a tectonically active zone and experiences several (usually small) earthquakes each year. The boundary between the Pacific plate (on which Blenheim sits) and the Indo-Australian plate passes just north of Blenheim. It lies east of Renwick, and just south of Spring Creek. The climate is generally very settled, largely due to the rain shadow effect of the mountain ranges to the west which shelter Blenheim from the heaviest of rains that hit the western part of the South Island. Summers are typically warm, dry and sunny. Winter mornings are cool and frosty. Snowfall is rare as the town is sheltered from cold southerly weather by the mountain ranges to the south. Rainfall and humidity is highest in winter and early spring, between June and October. The town's average annual rainfall is a little more than 700mm, with 81.5 precipitation days. Thunderstorms are an uncommon occurrence due to the sheltered climate. There is a higher likelihood in summer, when afternoon heating can generate a buildup of clouds above the ranges. The highest recorded temperature is 37.8 °C, recorded on…

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).