# Somerfield vs Sydenham, the record side by side

| | [Somerfield](https://www.chch.live/somerfield) | [Sydenham](https://www.chch.live/sydenham) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | **7,080 (2023)** | 6,970 (2023) |
| 2023 Census (SA1 join) | **6,813 (indicative)** | 6,774 (indicative) |
| Census households | 2,664 | **3,084** |
| Under 15 (Census) | 19% | — |
| 65+ (Census) | 18% | — |
| Area | 2.48 km² | **3.04 km²** |
| People per km² | **2,855** | 2,293 |
| Reports filed | 7,009 | **23,728** |
| Rank on the roll | 18th of 108 | **2nd of 108** |
| Reports per km² | 2,826 | **7,805** |
| First report on record | 2015 | 2015 |
| Busiest day | 2016-10-02 (39 reports) | **2023-08-30 (144 reports)** |
| Crashes on record | 165 (2 fatal · 32 serious) | **819 (11 fatal · 139 serious)** |
| Epicentres inside the outline | **16 (biggest M4.3)** | 7 (biggest M4.7) |
| Of the outline, red-zoned | — | — |
| The 2011 grade | TC2 (445.0% of the outline) | TC3 (7.2% of the outline) |
| Flooded on record | **11.5% (4 events)** | 1.4% (3 events) |
| The sea’s reach | — | — |
| Slope-hazard bands | — | — |
| The remembered ground | 2% of the outline | — |
| The wild ledger | 2% of the outline | — |
| The kept view | 2% of the outline | — |
| The waiting water | **1% high-hazard (11% managed)** | 0% high-hazard (34% managed) |
| The quiet lines | — | 3% of the outline |
| The drawn water | **25 reaches (Heathcote / Opawaho River, Tennysons Drain), 5% setback strips, held edge** | 32 reaches (Jacksons Creek Upper, Heathcote / Opawaho River), 2% setback strips |
| The allowed shape | 31% under density overlays, Suburban Density Transition | **37% under density overlays, Medium Density** |
| The rebuild’s receipts | 2,130 frames filed (2000–2016) | **7,352 frames filed (2009–2017)** |
| The pedal network | 0.0 km inside the outline (0.0 km separated), Nor'West Arc, Quarryman's Trail +1 more | **0.0 km inside the outline (0.0 km separated), Quarryman's Trail, Southern Lights +1 more** |
| The remembered names | 3 plaques, Ashgrove Reserve, Somerfield Park | **8 plaques, Sydenham School Memorial, Sydenham Park** |
| The rules on the ground | 9 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga | **10 drawn rules, Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga** |
| On the hazard register | 6 parcels (4 current) | **75 parcels (39 current)** |
| Made ground on file | 68 parcels (15 unvouched) | 65 parcels (20 unvouched) |
| Surveyed rocks | — | — |
| Cleanups on file | 2 parcels (1 verified) | 16 parcels (none verified) |
| The model’s verdict | medium (100% of the outline) | medium (81% of the outline) |
| Engineered defences | — | — |
| The canopy | **1,720 trees (31 veterans, 862 remembered felled)** | 1,385 trees (31 veterans, 660 remembered felled) |
| The plan’s word | Residential Suburban (35% of the outline, 67% residential) | Medium density residential zone (33% of the outline, 40% residential) |
| The plan’s reservations | **6% of the outline (3 designations, learning)** | 1% of the outline (1 designation, movement) |
| The plan’s exceptions | — | 4% of the outline (8 matters, residential, heritage, utilities) |
| The listed city | 4 scheduled items (1 highly significant) | **10 scheduled items (none top-graded)** |
| The usual complaints | Graffiti (1,202), Water Leak (791), Dumped Rubbish (618) | Graffiti (6,894), Dumped Rubbish (2,439), Graffiti on a fence, building or structure (1,856) |
| Schools | **2** | 0 |
| Parks | 4 | **14** |
| Facilities | **2** | 0 |
| Tracks | 12 | **18** |
| Bus stops | 26 | **41** |
| Bus routes through | 5 | **8** |
| Heritage places | 9 | **10** |

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

## Questions, answered briefly

**What is the difference between Somerfield and Sydenham?**

Somerfield counts 7,080 people (2023) to Sydenham's 6,970; Somerfield covers 2.48 km², Sydenham 3.04 km²; the record holds 7,009 reports for Somerfield and 23,728 for Sydenham.

**Which has more heritage places, Somerfield or Sydenham?**

Sydenham, 10 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=somerfield&b=sydenham
Data: https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=somerfield · https://api.chch.live/suburb?slug=sydenham