Hamilton is an inland city on the Waikato River in New Zealand's North Island, the regional seat and largest urban centre of the Waikato region. Its Maori name, Kirikiriroa, comes from the Maori settlements originally on the site, before European militia-settlers established the modern city as an agricultural service hub following the invasion of Waikato and the Crown land confiscations of the 1860s. It had a territorial population of 192,100 in June 2025, the country's fourth most populous municipality, and its economy has since diversified from farming into education, with about 40,000 tertiary students and 1,000 PhD-qualified scientists, research and tourism.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Latitude37.783333 degrees south 1 Longitude175.283333 degrees east 1 FAQs
Who founded the city of Hamilton in New Zealand?
It was settled in 1864 by the 4th Waikato Regiment Militia under Captain William Steele.
Hamilton was settled in 1864 by the 4th Waikato Regiment Militia, led by Captain William Steele, at the site then called Kirikiriroa. The government advertised for tenders to build huts and a hospital there on 10 August 1864.
Sources
1. Hamilton, New Zealand (Wikidata)
P1082 (population)
population 176,500 (2020)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude -37.783333, longitude 175.283333
P2044 (elevation above sea level)
elevation 40 m
P2046 (area)
area 110.8 sq km
P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
population 176500 (2020)
View the Source2. Hamilton, New Zealand (Wikipedia)
History
Although telegraph came to Hamilton with the 1864 invasion which established the town, it was quite late in developing its gas (1895), water (1903), sewage (1907) and electricity supplies (1913), probably because its population remained low; in 1911 Hamilton's population was 3,542 and Frankton's 1,113.
- In Group: Cities of Australia and New Zealand (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
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