Ilam, New Zealand

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Stack begin Template:Stack begin Template:Template other Template:Stack end Template:Adjacent place Template:Stack end Ilam (Template:IPAc-en) is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, about five kilometres west of the city centre. It is the location of the University of Canterbury.

Located adjacent to State Highway 1 and Christchurch Airport, it is handily placed for transportation. It is also located close to the major retail area of Riccarton.

History

File:Ilam, house, Christchurch New Zealand SLNSW.jpg

Ilam, home of the John Watts-Russell, Christchurch, New Zealand

The suburb was named after the ancestral home of the Hon. John Watts-Russell (1825–75), who hailed from Ilam Hall in Staffordshire, England. He settled in Canterbury in 1850, arriving on and named his property Ilam.

The Ilam homestead was in the 1950s inhabited by the rector of Canterbury College, Henry Rainsford Hulme. In 1954 the homestead gained notoriety as Hulme's 16-year-old daughter Juliet was involved in the Parker–Hulme murder case. The homestead was used as a major location for Peter Jackson's film about the murders, Heavenly Creatures. The homestead has been the University of Canterbury Staff Club since 1971.

Demographics

Ilam, comprising the statistical areas of Ilam North, Ilam South and Ilam University, covers . It had an estimated population of as of Template:NZ population data 2023 SA2 with a population density of people per km².

Ilam North had a population of 9,357 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 357 people (4.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 825 people (9.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,628 households, comprising 4,881 males and 4,473 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female, with 1,083 people (11.6%) aged under 15 years, 4,293 (45.9%) aged 15 to 29, 2,931 (31.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,053 (11.3%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 67.8% European/Pākehā, 5.9% Māori, 2.3% Pasifika, 28.5% Asian, and 3.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 37.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.2% had no religion, 35.3% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.9% were Hindu, 2.2% were Muslim, 1.8% were Buddhist and 2.6% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,352 (28.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 507 (6.1%) people had no formal qualifications. 951 people (11.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,790 (33.7%) people were employed full-time, 1,599 (19.3%) were part-time, and 468 (5.7%) were unemployed.

Individual statistical areas

Name	Area (km2)	Population	Density (per km2)	Households	Median age	Median income
Ilam North	1.23	3,729	3,032	1,218	30.3 years	$24,100
Ilam South	0.91	3,204	3,521	1,041	30.3 years	$22,900
Ilam University	1.23	2,424	1,971	369	20.2 years	$7,900
New Zealand					37.4 years	$31,800

Education

Ilam Primary School, also located on Ilam Road, is a primary school situated next to the Canterbury University whose facilities the school uses. The school educates many children from overseas. It has a roll of Template:NZ school roll data.

Westburn School is a state coeducational full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of Template:NZ school roll data. The school was founded in 1961.

Medbury School is a private full primary boys' school (years 1–8) with a roll of Template:NZ school roll data. It was established in 1923.

Rolls are as of Template:NZ school roll data

The Canterbury Japanese Supplementary School (カンタベリー日本語補習校 Kantaberī Nihongo Hoshūkō), a weekend Japanese school, holds its classes at the Ilam School in Ilam.