Midhirst

Not to be confused with Midhurst, the town in West Sussex, England.

Midhirst is a small village in Taranaki, New Zealand, approximately 4 km north of Stratford, on State Highway 3. Inglewood is 17 km (11 mi) north of Midhirst, and New Plymouth is 35 km (22 mi) to the northwest.^[3][4]

Midhirst
Coordinates: 39°17′36″S 174°15′59″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Taranaki Region
Territorial authority	Stratford District
Ward	Stratford Rural General Ward Stratford Māori Ward
Electorates	Taranaki-King Country Te Tai Hauāuru (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Stratford District Council
• Regional council	Taranaki Regional Council
Area [1]
• Total	1.83 km2 (0.71 sq mi)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	280
• Density	150/km2 (400/sq mi)

Demographics

Midhirst is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 1.83 km² (0.71 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 280 as of June 2024,^[2] with a population density of 153 people per km². It is part of the larger Pembroke statistical area.^[5]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	228	—
2013	234	+0.37%
2018	252	+1.49%
Source: [6]

Midhirst had a population of 252 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 18 people (7.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 24 people (10.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 99 households, comprising 126 males and 126 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female, with 48 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 45 (17.9%) aged 15 to 29, 120 (47.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 39 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 92.9% European/Pākehā, 14.3% Māori, 2.4% Pacific peoples, 1.2% Asian, and 3.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.0% had no religion, 32.1% were Christian and 1.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (7.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 69 (33.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 9 people (4.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 105 (51.5%) people were employed full-time, 30 (14.7%) were part-time, and 9 (4.4%) were unemployed.^[6]

Education

Midhirst School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of 130 students as of March 2025.^[7][8] The school was founded in 1880.^[9]