Ashley Forest

For the forest in the United States, see Ashley National Forest.

Ashley Forest is a forest and a statistical area in the Canterbury Region's Hurunui District on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located north of the Ashley River / Rakahuri and northeast of the Okuku River.^[3]

Ashley Forest
Locality
Coordinates: 43.128°S 172.496°E / -43.128; 172.496
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury
Territorial authority	Hurunui District
Ward	South Ward
Electorates	Kaikōura Te Tai Tonga
Government
• Territorial Authority	Hurunui District Council
• Regional council	Environment Canterbury
• Mayor of Hurunui	Marie Black
• Kaikoura MP	Stuart Smith
• Te Tai Tonga MP	Tākuta Ferris
Area [1]
• Total	340.57 km2 (131.49 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	810
• Density	2.4/km2 (6.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

The forest was planted from 1939.^[4] It is managed by Rayonier Matariki and is only accessible by the public with a permit.^[5]

Ashley Forest Village is a small settlement at the southern end of the forest.

Demographics

The Ashley Forest statistical area covers 340.57 km² (131.49 sq mi).^[1] It had an estimated population of 810 as of June 2024,^[2] with a population density of 2.4 people per km².

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	522	—
2013	642	+3.00%
2018	669	+0.83%
Source: [6]

Ashley Forest had a population of 669 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 27 people (4.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 147 people (28.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 234 households, comprising 348 males and 324 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 44.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 138 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 105 (15.7%) aged 15 to 29, 327 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (15.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 97.3% European/Pākehā, 7.6% Māori, 0.4% Pasifika, 1.3% Asian, and 0.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 13.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.6% had no religion, 37.7% were Christian, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 114 (21.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 75 (14.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 105 people (19.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 297 (55.9%) people were employed full-time, 96 (18.1%) were part-time, and 21 (4.0%) were unemployed.^[6]

Climate

Climate data for Ashley Forest (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–1989)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	34.4 (93.9)	39.8 (103.6)	33.9 (93.0)	28.3 (82.9)	26.7 (80.1)	22.4 (72.3)	20.9 (69.6)	22.2 (72.0)	29.4 (84.9)	30.0 (86.0)	30.5 (86.9)	31.7 (89.1)	39.8 (103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	21.6 (70.9)	21.3 (70.3)	19.9 (67.8)	17.3 (63.1)	14.0 (57.2)	11.7 (53.1)	10.9 (51.6)	12.0 (53.6)	14.5 (58.1)	16.3 (61.3)	17.9 (64.2)	20.1 (68.2)	16.5 (61.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	16.5 (61.7)	16.3 (61.3)	14.7 (58.5)	12.4 (54.3)	9.7 (49.5)	7.5 (45.5)	6.6 (43.9)	7.6 (45.7)	9.6 (49.3)	11.4 (52.5)	12.9 (55.2)	15.1 (59.2)	11.7 (53.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	11.5 (52.7)	11.4 (52.5)	9.6 (49.3)	7.4 (45.3)	5.4 (41.7)	3.3 (37.9)	2.4 (36.3)	3.3 (37.9)	4.7 (40.5)	6.6 (43.9)	8.0 (46.4)	10.2 (50.4)	7.0 (44.6)
Record low °C (°F)	1.7 (35.1)	3.0 (37.4)	0.6 (33.1)	0.0 (32.0)	−2.2 (28.0)	−5.6 (21.9)	−6.4 (20.5)	−3.4 (25.9)	−4.0 (24.8)	−1.1 (30.0)	−2.0 (28.4)	1.5 (34.7)	−6.4 (20.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	57.3 (2.26)	57.6 (2.27)	84.3 (3.32)	70.4 (2.77)	59.1 (2.33)	62.7 (2.47)	78.2 (3.08)	69.9 (2.75)	64.8 (2.55)	84.1 (3.31)	50.7 (2.00)	65.3 (2.57)	804.4 (31.68)
Source: NIWA[7]