Waimakariri District is a local government district, located in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Waimakariri River, which forms the district's southern boundary, separating it from Christchurch City and the Selwyn District. It is bounded in the north by the Hurunui District and in the east by the Pacific Ocean. The district was established on 1 April 1989 following the merger of Rangiora District and Eyre County. The district covers , and is home to people. Rangiora is the district seat and largest town, with other major towns including Kaiapoi, Oxford, Pegasus and Woodend. The current district mayor is Dan Gordon, who was elected in the 2019 local body elections. Geography The Waimakariri District lies to the north of the Waimakariri River in North Canterbury. The major urban areas are Rangiora and Kaiapoi, which are respectively about 30 and 20 minutes travelling time by car from the centre of Christchurch City. There are other urban settlements including Woodend and Oxford, as well as a number of village and beach settlements. The District occupies some 225,000 hectares, and extends from Pegasus Bay in the east to the Puketeraki Range in the west. It is bounded to the north by the Hurunui District. Urban areas and settlements The Waimakariri district has five towns with a population over 1,000. Together they are home to % of the district's population. Other settlements and localities in the district include: Kaiapoi-Woodend Ward: Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Sub-Division: Clarkville Kaiapoi Kairaki Ohapuku The Pines Beach Flaxton Tuahiwi Woodend-Sefton Sub-Division: Coldstream Pegasus Saltwater Creek Sefton Waikuku Waikuku Beach Woodend Woodend Beach Oxford-Ohoka Ward: Ohoka-Swannanoa Sub-Division: Eyreton Eyrewell Mandeville North Ohoka Swannanoa West Eyreton Wetheral Wilsons Siding Oxford Sub-Division: Ashley Forest Ashley Gorge Bennetts Bexley Burnt Hill Carleton Coopers Creek Gammans Creek Glenburn Glentui Horrellville Lees Valley Oxford Okuku Range Rockford Starvation Hill The Warren View Hill Okuku Hills Rangiora-Ashley Ward: Ashley Sub-Division: Ashley Loburn Loburn North Okuku Whiterock Cust Fernside Springbank Summerhill Rangiora Sub-Division: Rangiora Southbrook History In pre-European times there were several important Ngāi Tahu settlements in the area now occupied by the Waimakariri District. The centre of Ngāi Tahu was the pa of Taurakautahi, known as Kaiapoi. Today, the hapu Ngai Tuahuriri is based at Tuahiwi, to the north of Kaiapoi. People who identify themselves as having NZ Maori ancestry presently represent 8.5% of the District's population, and most of these people