Ilam
Suburb
Puaka-James Hight, home to the University of Canterbury Central Library and centrepiece of the University's Ilam campus.
Coordinates: 43°31′34″S 172°34′49″E / 43.526111°S 172.580278°E / -43.526111; 172.580278
Country	New Zealand
City	Christchurch
Local authority	Christchurch City Council
Electoral ward	Waimairi Riccarton
Community board	Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Area [1]
• Land	337 ha (833 acres)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Total	9,930

	Burnside	Bryndwr
Avonhead	Ilam	Fendalton
	Upper Riccarton	Riccarton

Ilam /ˈaɪləm/ 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 the Christchurch International Airport, it is handily placed for transportation. It is also located close to the major retail area of Riccarton.

Ilam, home of the John Watts-Russell , Christchurch, New Zealand, c. 1900

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 Sir George Seymour and named his property Ilam.^[3] 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.^[4]

Demographics

Ilam, comprising the statistical areas of Ilam North, Ilam South and Ilam University, covers 3.37 km² (1.30 sq mi).^[1] It had an estimated population of 9,930 as of June 2023, with a population density of 2,947 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.^[5]

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 400.^[9][10]

Westburn School is a state coeducational full primary school (years 1–8) with a roll of 456.^[11] The school was founded in 1961.

Medbury School is a private full primary boys' school (years 1–8) with a roll of 400.^[12] It was established in 1923.^[13]

Rolls are as of April 2023.^[14]

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.^[15]

References