Southland

Southland is New Zealand’s southernmost region, and as of June 2017, it is home to 98,300 people, just over 2 percent of New Zealand’s total population. Southland covers an area of almost 1.7 million hectares, of which about two thirds are in pastoral farming. The region has a long tradition of pastoral sheep farming, and this activity dominated its rural landscape during the 20th century, reaching a peak of over 9 million sheep in 1984. However, land use in the region has changed since then and is likely to continue to do so.