# Hillsborough vs Opawa, the record side by side

| | [Hillsborough](https://www.chch.live/hillsborough) | [Opawa](https://www.chch.live/opawa) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | **2,430 (2023)** | 1,400 (2023) |
| 2023 Census (SA1 join) | **2,373 (indicative)** | 1,401 (indicative) |
| Census households | **936** | 549 |
| Under 15 (Census) | **17%** | 15% |
| 65+ (Census) | 18% | **25%** |
| Area | **6.7 km²** | 0.82 km² |
| People per km² | 363 | **1,707** |
| Reports filed | 3,002 | **3,169** |
| Rank on the roll | 50th of 108 | **46th of 108** |
| Reports per km² | 448 | **3,865** |
| First report on record | 2015 | 2015 |
| Busiest day | 2026-08-29 (12 reports) | **2017-10-25 (17 reports)** |
| Crashes on record | **91 (0 fatal · 29 serious)** | 29 (1 fatal · 8 serious) |
| Epicentres inside the outline | **52 (biggest M4.9)** | 1 (biggest M3.3) |
| Of the outline, red-zoned | 0.8% (5 ha) | — |
| The 2011 grade | TC2 (6.3% of the outline) | TC3 (104.2% of the outline) |
| Flooded on record | 11.2% (4 events) | **26.3% (4 events)** |
| The sea’s reach | — | — |
| Slope-hazard bands | 10% of the outline (+63% broad overlay) | — |
| The remembered ground | 1% of the outline (+13% silent-file) | **3% of the outline** |
| The wild ledger | 1% of the outline | **4% of the outline** |
| The kept view | **61% of the outline (+57% outstanding)** | 3% of the outline |
| The waiting water | 1% high-hazard (20% managed) | **2% high-hazard (19% managed)** |
| The quiet lines | — | — |
| The drawn water | 90 reaches (Victory Drain, Popes Drain), 15% setback strips, held edge | **18 reaches (Jacksons Creek Lower, Heathcote / Opawaho River), 18% setback strips, held edge** |
| The allowed shape | — | 4% under density overlays, Suburban Density Transition |
| The rebuild’s receipts | **1,778 frames filed (2009–2016)** | 954 frames filed (2010–2016) |
| The pedal network | 0.0 km inside the outline | **0.0 km inside the outline, Ōpāwaho River** |
| The remembered names | 5 plaques, Monro Playground, Heathcote Riverbank Tr South | **8 plaques, Risingholme Park, Hansen Park** |
| The rules on the ground | **15 drawn rules, Rapaki Runanga** | 5 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga |
| On the hazard register | **11 parcels (4 current)** | 2 parcels (1 current) |
| Made ground on file | 105 parcels (7 unvouched) | 55 parcels (11 unvouched) |
| Surveyed rocks | 923 rocks (612 fell, 73 wobble easy) | — |
| Cleanups on file | 2 parcels (none verified) | 2 parcels (1 verified) |
| The model’s verdict | unlikely (69% of the outline) | high (52% of the outline) |
| Engineered defences | 88 defences (6 rated poor) | — |
| The canopy | 983 trees (24 veterans, 432 remembered felled) | **1,200 trees (25 veterans, 542 remembered felled)** |
| The plan’s word | Open Space Natural (52% of the outline, 17% residential) | Residential Suburban (52% of the outline, 55% residential) |
| The plan’s reservations | 3% of the outline (2 designations, movement) | **8% of the outline (3 designations, learning, movement)** |
| The plan’s exceptions | — | — |
| The listed city | 1 scheduled item (none top-graded) | **4 scheduled items (1 highly significant)** |
| The usual complaints | Water Leak (396), Roading/Streets (363), Graffiti (252) | Graffiti (828), Parks (288), Dumped Rubbish (271) |
| Schools | 1 | **3** |
| Parks | **11** | 4 |
| Facilities | 0 | 0 |
| Tracks | **16** | 12 |
| Bus stops | **11** | 7 |
| Bus routes through | 1 | **3** |
| Heritage places | 7 | 7 |

Same record, same caveats, the stream counts reports, not virtue.

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is the difference between Hillsborough and Opawa?**

Hillsborough counts 2,430 people (2023) to Opawa's 1,400; Hillsborough covers 6.7 km², Opawa 0.82 km²; the record holds 3,002 reports for Hillsborough and 3,169 for Opawa.

**Which has more heritage places, Hillsborough or Opawa?**

Even, 7 each on the heritage register.

**Where do these numbers come from?**

The same public record for both, council reports, the crash register, the heritage schedule, Stats NZ’s counts. The stream counts reports, not virtue; the caveats are each suburb’s own.

HTML: https://www.chch.live/compare?a=hillsborough&b=opawa
Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=hillsborough · https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=opawa