This dataset is the definitive set of urban rural boundaries at 1 January 2019 as defined by Stats NZ. Urban rural is a new output geography that classifies New Zealand into areas that share common urban or rural characteristics. Urban areas are built from the Statistical Area 2 geography, while rural and water areas are built from the Statistical Area 1 geography. Urban areas are statistically defined areas with no administrative or legal basis. The urban rural indicator is an attribute of this classification and provides additional information about a location's urban or rural nature.
Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007. This generalised version has been simplified for rapid drawing and is designed for thematic or web mapping purposes.
For further information see ANZLIC Metadata 2019 Urban Rural or ANZLIC Metadata 2019 Urban Rural Indicator attachments below