South Invercargill is located within the city of Invercargill and has a population of 18,360 (2018). It is a thriving service centre with a strong student presence through the Southern Institute of Technology’s Zero Fees scheme.
South Invercargill includes some of the oldest residential areas in Invercargill, which now sit alongside new developments, small clusters of community-based retail centres and green spaces. It has a long and proud history and was governed by its own Borough Council until 1956. The community is becoming increasingly diverse and includes the greater proportion of Invercargill’s Maori and Pacific Island residents.
South Invercargill has a history of tall and imposing structures – ships and signal masts, tall trees, and its natural elevation in terms of the surrounding land.
South Invercargill suffered some economic, political and social setbacks in the 1990s through to around 2008 including industry and school closures and environmental issues but is now rebounding, in part through the work of South Alive.