Riversdale is a small town in the Southland region of New Zealand. Geography Riversdale is located between the Hokonui Hills and the Mataura River in the heart of the Waimea Plains, and is roughly equidistant between Gore and Lumsden on State Highway 94, the main road linking Gore with the tourist destination of Milford Sound. In terms of climate, Riversdale has a temperate oceanic climate grading onto a continental climate more commonly found in Central Otago, with cold, wet winters and warm summers. The Riversdale region is one of the few areas in Southland prone to drought during the summer months. Demographics Riversdale is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand. It covers , and is part of the much larger Riversdale-Piano Flat statistical area. Riversdale had a population of 408 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (2.3%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged since the 2006 census. There were 168 households. There were 207 males and 201 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 78 people (19.1%) aged under 15 years, 63 (15.4%) aged 15 to 29, 174 (42.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 93 (22.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.0% European/Pākehā, 13.2% Māori, 1.5% Pacific peoples, 3.7% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Although some people objected to giving their religion, 47.1% had no religion, 47.1% were Christian and 0.7% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (9.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 93 (28.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 165 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 51 (15.5%) were part-time, and 6 (1.8%) were unemployed. Riversdale-Piano Flat Riversdale-Piano Flat statistical area covers and also includes Waikaia. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Riversdale-Piano Flat had a population of 1,374 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 33 people (2.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 75 people (5.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 540 households. There were 735 males and 639 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.15 males per female. The median age was 36.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 303 people (22.1%) aged under 15 years, 249