Waitaki District is a territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. History Waitaki District is made up of the former Waitaki County, Waihemo County and Oamaru Borough, which were amalgamated in 1989. It is governed by the Waitaki District Council. Name During the colonial period, the area was also known as Molesworth. However, the Maori name Waitaki eventually prevailed. Geography It has a land area of , of which or 59.02% is in the Canterbury Region and or 40.98% in the Otago Region. It is the only district in the South Island that lies in two regions. A major reason for this split was the governance of the Waitaki River which forms a political boundary between Canterbury and Otago. With major hydro schemes on this river it was decided to place the entire catchment in one administrative region, thus forming the split. Some people who fall into the Canterbury Region of Waitaki District still regard themselves as part of Otago, and attempts have been made in the past to change the boundary. The district, which is agricultural by nature, comprises the wide alluvial fan of the river, and runs inland along the banks of the river, forming a roughly triangular region. Urban areas and settlements Oamaru, the district seat, is the only town in the Waitaki district with a population over 1,000. It is home to people, % of the district's population. Other settlements and localities in the district include: Ahuriri Ward: Aviemore Benmore Black Point Bortons Clearburn Danseys Pass Duntroon Earthquakes Kokoamo Kurow Ohau Lake Waitaki Lindis Pass Livingstone Maerewhenua Omarama Otekaieke Otematata Otiake Pukeraro Strachans Waikaura Wharekuri Waihemo Ward: Billys Flat Dunback Flag Swamp Glenpark Goodwood Green Valley Hampden Hillgrove Inch Valley Kaika Katiki Macraes Makareao Meadowbank Moeraki Moonlight Flat Morrisons Nenthorn Palmerston Pleasant Valley Shag Point Shag Valley Stoneburn Trotters Gorge Waianakarua Waihemo Wairunga Waynes Puketapu Corriedale Ward: Airedale All Day Bay Awamoko Cormacks Corriedale Elderslie Enfield Five Forks Fuchsia Creek Georgetown Herbert Hilderthorpe Incholme Island Cliff Island Stream Kakanui Kauru Hill Kia Ora Kuriheka Maheno Maraeweka Marakerake Maruakoa Ngapara Otepopo Papakaio Peebles Pukeuri Queens Flat Reidston Richmond Rosebery Tapui Taranui Teschemakers Tokarahi Totara Waimotu Waitaki Bridge Whitecraig Whitstone Windsor Park Windsor Oamaru Ward: Ardgowan Oamaru Weston Demographics