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South Island influenza death rates

These figures are taken from Geoffrey Rice, Black November: the 1918 influenza pandemic, University of Canterbury Press, 2005. The population figures are those of the 1916 Census. Death rate is per 1,000 of population. Maori populations for counties are inclusive of interior boroughs. Only registered Maori deaths are listed, and these are not available for some districts.

Region:

Marlborough

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Sounds County and Picton 8 2,322 3.4
Marlborough 11 6,915 1.5
Blenheim 27 3,822 7.0
Awatere 2 1,542 1.2
Kaikoura 9 1,906 4.7
TOTAL 57 16,507 3.4

Nelson

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Waimea County 11 9,334 1.1
Motueka 4 1,475 2.7
Nelson 29 8,774 3.3
Takaka 3 1,858 1.6
Collingwood – 1,253  
Murchison 6 1,251 4.7
TOTAL 53 23,945 2.2

West Coast

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Buller County 10 5,071 1.9
Denniston 13 702 18.5
Westport 10 4,067 2.4
Inangahua and Reefton 12 4,130 2.9
Grey County 17 7,519 2.2
Greymouth 38 4,863 7.8
Westland 14 4,578 3.0
Hokitika 20 2,091 9.5
Kumara 3 623 4.8
TOTAL 137 33,644 4.0
Maori deaths 1 81  

North Canterbury

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Amuri County 1 1,836 3.8
Cheviot County 9 1,224 1.3
Waipara County 11 2,058 5.3
Kowai County 7 1,444 4.8
Amberley 8 470 17.0
Ashley County – 728 –
Rangiora County 10 2,747 3.6
Kaiapoi 11 1,560 10.8
Rangiora 9 1,808 4.9
Eyre County 9 1,806 4.9
Oxford County 10 989 10.1
Tawera County 1 847 1.1
Malvern County 6 2,757 2.1
Paparua County (excluding Christchurch) 6 2,566 2.3
Halswell County 2 1,785 1.2
Springs County 4 1,785 2.2
Ellesmere County 6 3,441 1.7
Selwyn County 7 1,423 4.9
TOTAL 129 31,117 4.1
Maori deaths 1 145  

Christchurch

Place Deaths Population Death rate
City East 31 5,109 6.1
City Northwest 26 4,364 6.4
City Southwest 29 3,999 7.3
Riccarton 11 2,890 3.8
New Brighton 13 2,310 5.6
Sumner 5 2,287 2.1
Lyttelton 21 3,766 5.6
Addington 10 3,045 3.3
Sydenhem 43 8,418 5.1
Waltham 7 2,218 3.2
Beckenham 5 909 5.5
Spreydon East 10 1,565 6.4
Spreydon West 4 1,645 2.4
Somerfield 6 1,079 5.5
Opawa 4 890 4.5
St Martins 1 278 3.5
Woolston 9 3,990 2.2
Linwood South 14 5,195 2.7
Linwood North 25 4,758 5.3
Avonside and Bromley 1 1,933 0.5
Richmond 16 2,696 5.9
St Albans East 22 4,775 4.6
St Albans West 33 5,665 5.8
Papanui 11 1,866 5.8
Strowan and Merivale 11 2,567 4.2
Belfast and Styx 8 1,839 4.3
Marshland 7 1,454 4.8
Fendalton 13 5,078 2.5
Sockburn and Islington 8 2,397 3.3
Heathcote 7 2,738 2.5
Harewood 3 1,050 2.8
Soldiers who died in camp 19    
‘Christchurch’, no address 25    
TOTAL 458 92,773 4.9

Banks Peninsula and Chatham Islands

  European Maori
Place Deaths Population Death rate Deaths Population Death rate
Mt Herbert County 2 405 4.9 1 120 16.6
Akaroa County 13 1,982 6.5 – 33 –
Akaroa 4 540 7.4      
Chatham Islands County 1 219 4.5 5 258 19.3
Wairewa County 2 1,036 1.9 2 75 26.6
TOTAL 22 4,182 5.2 8 486 16.4

South Canterbury

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Ashburton County 46 13,136 3.5
Ashburton 25 3,109 8.0
Geraldine County 11 5,194 2.1
Geraldine 5 869 5.7
Temuka 21 2,173 9.6
Levels County 11 4,378 2.5
Pleasant Point 4 722 5.5
Timaru 38 12,238 3.1
Mackenzie County 6 2,868 2.0
Waimate County 13 6,984 1.8
Waimate 17 1,867 9.1
TOTAL 197 53,538 3.6
Maori deaths 10 232 43.1

Otago

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Waitaki County 22 9,694 2.2
Hampden 4 364 10.9
Oamaru 46 5,140 8.9
Waihemo County 6 1,446 4.1
Palmerston 5 752 6.6
Waikouaiti County 6 2,841 2.1
Waikouaiti 4 611 6.5
Seacliff* 21 1,253 16.7
Taieri County 10 5,662 1.7
Mosgiel 11 1,719 6.3
Bruce County 3 4,763 0.6
Kaitangata 4 1,681 2.3
Milton 5 1,317 3.7
Clutha County 6 6,194 0.9
Balclutha 10 1,409 7.0
Owaka district 15 707 21.2
Tuapeka County 4 4,818 0.8
Lawrence 4 837 4.7
Roxburgh 2 449 4.4
Tapanui 8 627 12.7
Maniototo County – 2,527 –
Naseby 2 276 7.2
Vincent County 7 3,930 1.7
Alexandra 9 679 13.2
Cromwelll 4 549 7.2
Lake County 1 1,749 0.5
Arrowtown 1 307 3.2
Queenstown 3 657 4.5
TOTAL 223 62,958 3.5

* includes Seacliff Mental Hospital

Dunedin

Place Deaths Population Death rate
Roslyn 22 6,300 3.4
Maori Hill 4 2,075 1.9
North East Valley 18 4,750 3.7
Central Dunedin 63 21,290 2.9
Mornington 9 4,381 2.0
St Kilda 28 5,520 5.0
South Dunedin 30 6,687 4.4
Caversham 22 6,165 3.5
Green Island 15 1,841 8.1
St Clair – 1,797 –
Port Chalmers 20 2,615 7.6
West Harbour 1 1,631 0.6
Tainui–Andersons Bay 4 1,871 2.1
Peninsula County 1 1,793 0.5
‘Dunedin’, no address (including soldiers who died in camp) 36    
TOTAL 273 68,716 3.9

Southland

  European Maori
Place Deaths Population Death rate Deaths Population Death rate
Southland County 100 23,531 4.2 1 43 23.2
Campbelltown (Bluff) 8 1,823 4.3      
Gore 27 3,551 7.6      
Lumsden 5 570 8.7      
Mataura 13 1,129 11.5      
Winton 19 1,155 16.4      
Wyndham 13 991 13.1      
Invercargill 171 15,866 10.7      
Wallace County 65 7,729 8.4 7 92 76.0
Nightcaps and Wairio 33 718 45.9      
Otautau 21 837 25.0      
Riverton 16 985 16.2      
Fiord County – 17 –      
Stewart Island County – 349 – 1 4 250
TOTAL 491 59,251 8.2 9 139 64.7
How to cite this page: 'South Island influenza death rates', URL: /culture/1918-influenza-pandemic/sth-island-deaths, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 13-Jul-2009

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