Upper Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of Riccarton.
Upper Riccarton is made up of residential, retail and education areas. It includes a major intersection known as "Church Corner" (the intersection of Riccarton, Main South and Yaldhurst Roads), as well as the Bush Inn Shopping Centre and multiple schools.
A local landmark is St Peter's Church. The original wooden church, consecrated in 1858, was built by Isaac Luck. The later stone church was built between 1876 and 1929, with Benjamin Mountfort the architect for the initial work, but Cecil Wood undertaken most of the architectural design. The old Māori name for Upper Riccarton is Rakipaoa.
Demographics Upper Riccarton, comprising the statistical areas of Upper Riccarton, Bush Inn and Wharenui, covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Upper Riccarton had a population of 7,641 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 105 people (1.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 738 people (10.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,927 males, 3,651 females, and 63 people of other genders in 2,442 dwellings. 6.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 27.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 735 people (9.6%) aged under 15 years, 3,333 (43.6%) aged 15 to 29, 2,364 (30.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,203 (15.7%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 60.0% European (Pākehā); 9.2% Māori; 4.8% Pasifika; 32.3% Asian; 2.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 93.6%, Māori by 2.2%, Samoan by 1.6%, and other languages by 26.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 39.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 36.3% Christian, 3.3% Hindu, 2.2% Islam, 0.4% Māori religious beliefs, 1.5% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 2.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 48.1%, and 5.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,500 (21.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,651 (52.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,752 (25.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $22,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 174 people (2.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 2,355 (34.1%) full-time, 1,278 (18.5%) part-time, and 297 (4.3%) unemployed.
+Individual statistical areasName Area(km2) Population Density(per km2) Dwellings Median age Medianincome Upper Riccarton 0.52 1,521 2,925 486 26.8 years $22,400 Bush Inn 0.84 3,279 3,904 1,071 26.4 years $21,500 Wharenui 0.84 2,841 3,382 888 29.4 years $24,100 New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500
Economy
Bush Inn Centre is located in Upper Riccarton and has 45 stores. In June 2023, it was reported that the mall had low foot traffic and several sites were vacant. The mall manager and some shop owners spoke of tough trading conditions.
Education Riccarton High School is a secondary school for years 9 to 13. It has a roll of students. It opened in 1958.
Kirkwood Intermediate is an intermediate school for years 7 to 8, with a roll of students. It opened in 1959.
Te Kāpehu Riccarton School is a full primary school catering for years 1 to 8. It has a roll of students. The school opened in 1859 as Riccarton Church School, and became Riccarton District School in 1864, and later Riccarton Primary School.
Middleton Grange School is a state-integrated composite school for years 1 to 13. It has a roll of students. It started as a private Christian school in 1964 and became state-integrated in 1996.
Villa Maria College is a Catholic state-integrated girls' secondary school for years 7 to 13. It has a roll of students. The school opened in 1918, and became state-integrated in 1981. The corresponding Catholic primary and boys' schools, Our Lady of Victories and St Thomas of Canterbury College, are in Sockburn.
Schools are coeducational and state operated unless otherwise noted. Rolls are as of
The Upper Riccarton Library is operated as a joint community and school library with Riccarton High. This began with the signing of an agreement in 2004 and was opened on 23 January 2006.http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Bibliofile/2006/UpperRiccarton/Opening/OpeningDay.asp Opening day photo library The library features a café, meeting rooms and multiple other community resources.
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