# Merivale vs Saint Albans, the record side by side

| | [Merivale](https://www.chch.live/merivale) | [Saint Albans](https://www.chch.live/saint-albans) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,560 (2023) | **15,010 (2023)** |
| 2023 Census (SA1 join) | 5,340 (indicative) | **8,373 (indicative)** |
| Census households | 2,217 | **3,834** |
| Under 15 (Census) | **15%** | 12% |
| 65+ (Census) | **21%** | 14% |
| Area | 2.08 km² | **3.97 km²** |
| People per km² | 2,673 | **3,781** |
| Reports filed | 4,878 | **11,247** |
| Rank on the roll | 30th of 108 | **10th of 108** |
| Reports per km² | 2,345 | **2,833** |
| First report on record | 2015 | 2015 |
| Busiest day | **2023-07-19 (34 reports)** | 2016-01-25 (31 reports) |
| Crashes on record | 284 (0 fatal · 58 serious) | **393 (4 fatal · 76 serious)** |
| Epicentres inside the outline | — | — |
| Of the outline, red-zoned | — | — |
| The 2011 grade | TC2 (133.9% of the outline) | TC3 (133.6% of the outline) |
| Flooded on record | 7.4% (2 events) | **15.9% (4 events)** |
| The sea’s reach | — | — |
| Slope-hazard bands | — | — |
| The remembered ground | — | — |
| The wild ledger | — | — |
| The kept view | — | — |
| The waiting water | 0% high-hazard (55% managed) | 0% high-hazard (55% managed) |
| The quiet lines | **all of the outline, bird-strike buffer** | 88% of the outline, bird-strike buffer |
| The drawn water | 39 reaches (Wilkins Drain, Cross Stream), 4% setback strips, held edge | **161 reaches (St Albans Creek, Dudley Creek), 6% setback strips** |
| The allowed shape | 37% under density overlays, Medium Density | **52% under density overlays, Medium Density** |
| The rebuild’s receipts | 1,697 frames filed (2010–2016) | **4,413 frames filed (2009–2017)** |
| The pedal network | 0.0 km inside the outline, Northern Line | **0.0 km inside the outline (0.0 km separated), Papanui Parallel** |
| The remembered names | **7 plaques, Elmwood Park, Millbrook Reserve** | 5 plaques, Abberley Park, English Park Stadium |
| The rules on the ground | **20 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga** | 14 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga |
| On the hazard register | 2 parcels (1 current) | **4 parcels (2 current)** |
| Made ground on file | 150 parcels (2 unvouched) | 155 parcels (10 unvouched) |
| Surveyed rocks | — | — |
| Cleanups on file | — | 3 parcels (2 verified) |
| The model’s verdict | medium (68% of the outline) | medium (61% of the outline) |
| Engineered defences | — | — |
| The canopy | 1,195 trees (74 veterans, 520 remembered felled) | **2,510 trees (68 veterans, 1,175 remembered felled)** |
| The plan’s word | Residential Suburban (31% of the outline, 70% residential) | Medium density residential zone (48% of the outline, 72% residential) |
| The plan’s reservations | **4% of the outline (3 designations, learning)** | 2% of the outline (2 designations, movement, learning) |
| The plan’s exceptions | 1% of the outline (2 matters, heritage) | **5% of the outline (4 matters, heritage, residential)** |
| The listed city | **24 scheduled items (2 highly significant)** | 12 scheduled items (2 highly significant) |
| The usual complaints | Graffiti (768), Roading/Streets (654), Water Leak (520) | Graffiti (2,008), Roading/Streets (1,553), Water Leak (1,268) |
| Schools | **6** | 2 |
| Parks | 6 | **9** |
| Facilities | 0 | 0 |
| Tracks | 10 | **15** |
| Bus stops | 33 | **34** |
| Bus routes through | **5** | 4 |
| Heritage places | **33** | 22 |

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

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is the difference between Merivale and Saint Albans?**

Merivale counts 5,560 people (2023) to Saint Albans's 15,010; Merivale covers 2.08 km², Saint Albans 3.97 km²; the record holds 4,878 reports for Merivale and 11,247 for Saint Albans.

**Which has more heritage places, Merivale or Saint Albans?**

Merivale, 33 on the heritage register to the other’s 22.

**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=saint-albans
Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=merivale · https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=saint-albans