# Merivale vs Riccarton, the record side by side

| | [Merivale](https://www.chch.live/merivale) | [Riccarton](https://www.chch.live/riccarton) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,560 (2023) | **11,200 (2023)** |
| 2023 Census (SA1 join) | 5,340 (indicative) | **8,385 (indicative)** |
| Census households | 2,217 | **2,856** |
| Under 15 (Census) | 15% | — |
| 65+ (Census) | 21% | — |
| Area | 2.08 km² | **2.91 km²** |
| People per km² | 2,673 | **3,849** |
| Reports filed | 4,887 | **16,462** |
| Rank on the roll | 30th of 108 | **4th of 108** |
| Reports per km² | 2,350 | **5,657** |
| First report on record | 2015 | 2015 |
| Busiest day | 2023-07-19 (34 reports) | **2019-02-12 (92 reports)** |
| Crashes on record | 284 (0 fatal · 58 serious) | **698 (6 fatal · 104 serious)** |
| Epicentres inside the outline | — | 1 (biggest M3.5) |
| Of the outline, red-zoned | — | — |
| The 2011 grade | TC2 (133.9% of the outline) | TC2 (11.4% of the outline) |
| Flooded on record | **7.4% (2 events)** | 1.6% (2 events) |
| The sea’s reach | — | — |
| Slope-hazard bands | — | — |
| The remembered ground | — | 1% of the outline |
| The wild ledger | — | 1% of the outline |
| The kept view | — | 1% of the outline |
| The waiting water | 0% high-hazard (55% managed) | 0% high-hazard (15% managed) |
| The quiet lines | all of the outline, bird-strike buffer | all of the outline, bird-strike buffer |
| The drawn water | **39 reaches (Wilkins Drain, Cross Stream), 4% setback strips, held edge** | 57 reaches (Avon River, Riccarton Main Drain), 2% setback strips, held edge |
| The allowed shape | 37% under density overlays, Medium Density | **53% under density overlays, Medium Density** |
| The rebuild’s receipts | 1,697 frames filed (2010–2016) | **1,730 frames filed (2010–2016)** |
| The pedal network | 0.0 km inside the outline, Northern Line | **0.0 km inside the outline (0.0 km separated), Northern Line, South Express +1 more** |
| The remembered names | 7 plaques, Elmwood Park, Millbrook Reserve | **26 plaques, Mona Vale, Shand Crescent Reserve** |
| The rules on the ground | 20 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga | **22 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga** |
| On the hazard register | 2 parcels (1 current) | **7 parcels (3 current)** |
| Made ground on file | 150 parcels (2 unvouched) | 72 parcels (4 unvouched) |
| Surveyed rocks | — | — |
| Cleanups on file | — | 2 parcels (none verified) |
| The model’s verdict | medium (68% of the outline) | medium (89% of the outline) |
| Engineered defences | — | — |
| The canopy | 1,195 trees (74 veterans, 520 remembered felled) | **1,558 trees (52 veterans, 698 remembered felled)** |
| The plan’s word | Residential Suburban (31% of the outline, 70% residential) | High density residential zone (38% of the outline, 55% residential) |
| The plan’s reservations | 4% of the outline (3 designations, learning) | **4% of the outline (4 designations, learning, movement)** |
| The plan’s exceptions | 1% of the outline (2 matters, heritage) | **40% of the outline (43 matters, utilities, heritage, residential)** |
| The listed city | **24 scheduled items (2 highly significant)** | 8 scheduled items (2 highly significant) |
| The usual complaints | Graffiti (768), Roading/Streets (654), Water Leak (521) | Dumped Rubbish (4,537), Graffiti (3,144), Roading/Streets (1,192) |
| Schools | **6** | 5 |
| Parks | 6 | **8** |
| Facilities | 0 | **1** |
| Tracks | 10 | **22** |
| Bus stops | **33** | 31 |
| Bus routes through | 5 | **10** |
| Heritage places | **33** | 9 |

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

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is the difference between Merivale and Riccarton?**

Merivale counts 5,560 people (2023) to Riccarton's 11,200; Merivale covers 2.08 km², Riccarton 2.91 km²; the record holds 4,887 reports for Merivale and 16,462 for Riccarton.

**Which has more heritage places, Merivale or Riccarton?**

Merivale, 33 on the heritage register to the other’s 9.

**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=merivale&b=riccarton
Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=merivale · https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=riccarton