# Opawa vs Waltham, the record side by side

| | [Opawa](https://www.chch.live/opawa) | [Waltham](https://www.chch.live/waltham) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,400 (2023) | **4,460 (2023)** |
| 2023 Census (SA1 join) | 1,401 (indicative) | **2,175 (indicative)** |
| Census households | 549 | **999** |
| Under 15 (Census) | 15% | — |
| 65+ (Census) | 25% | — |
| Area | 0.82 km² | **1.77 km²** |
| People per km² | 1,707 | **2,520** |
| Reports filed | 3,169 | **9,566** |
| Rank on the roll | 46th of 108 | **12th of 108** |
| Reports per km² | 3,865 | **5,405** |
| First report on record | 2015 | 2015 |
| Busiest day | 2017-10-25 (17 reports) | **2022-02-16 (42 reports)** |
| Crashes on record | 29 (1 fatal · 8 serious) | **343 (2 fatal · 82 serious)** |
| Epicentres inside the outline | 1 (biggest M3.3) | 1 (biggest M3.9) |
| Of the outline, red-zoned | — | — |
| The 2011 grade | TC3 (104.2% of the outline) | TC3 (16.3% of the outline) |
| Flooded on record | **26.3% (4 events)** | 1.9% (2 events) |
| The sea’s reach | — | — |
| Slope-hazard bands | — | — |
| The remembered ground | 3% of the outline | — |
| The wild ledger | 4% of the outline | — |
| The kept view | 3% of the outline | — |
| The waiting water | **2% high-hazard (19% managed)** | 0% high-hazard (41% managed) |
| The quiet lines | — | — |
| The drawn water | **18 reaches (Jacksons Creek Lower, Heathcote / Opawaho River), 18% setback strips, held edge** | 11 reaches (Jacksons Creek Lower, Jacksons Creek Lower Branch), 1% setback strips |
| The allowed shape | 4% under density overlays, Suburban Density Transition | **39% under density overlays, Medium Density** |
| The rebuild’s receipts | 954 frames filed (2010–2016) | **4,046 frames filed (2009–2016)** |
| The pedal network | **0.0 km inside the outline, Ōpāwaho River** | 0.0 km inside the outline (0.0 km separated), Heathcote Expressway, Ōpāwaho River |
| The remembered names | 8 plaques, Risingholme Park, Hansen Park | **10 plaques, Edmonds Factory Garden, Waltham Park** |
| The rules on the ground | 5 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga | **13 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga** |
| On the hazard register | 2 parcels (1 current) | **51 parcels (36 current)** |
| Made ground on file | 55 parcels (11 unvouched) | 32 parcels (11 unvouched) |
| Surveyed rocks | — | — |
| Cleanups on file | 2 parcels (1 verified) | 6 parcels (none verified) |
| The model’s verdict | high (52% of the outline) | medium (64% of the outline) |
| Engineered defences | — | — |
| The canopy | **1,200 trees (25 veterans, 542 remembered felled)** | 965 trees (42 veterans, 635 remembered felled) |
| The plan’s word | Residential Suburban (52% of the outline, 55% residential) | Medium density residential zone (38% of the outline, 39% residential) |
| The plan’s reservations | 8% of the outline (3 designations, learning, movement) | **16% of the outline (6 designations, movement, learning)** |
| The plan’s exceptions | — | 5% of the outline (11 matters, residential, nps matter, heritage) |
| The listed city | 4 scheduled items (1 highly significant) | **5 scheduled items (1 highly significant)** |
| The usual complaints | Graffiti (828), Parks (288), Dumped Rubbish (271) | Graffiti (2,232), Dumped Rubbish (1,572), Graffiti on a fence, building or structure (894) |
| Schools | **3** | 2 |
| Parks | 4 | **7** |
| Facilities | 0 | 0 |
| Tracks | 12 | **13** |
| Bus stops | 7 | **17** |
| Bus routes through | 3 | **6** |
| Heritage places | **7** | 6 |

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

## Questions, answered briefly

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

Opawa counts 1,400 people (2023) to Waltham's 4,460; Opawa covers 0.82 km², Waltham 1.77 km²; the record holds 3,169 reports for Opawa and 9,566 for Waltham.

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

Opawa, 7 on the heritage register to the other’s 6.

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