Invercargill

Invercargill  is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island.

Many streets in the city, especially in the centre and main shopping district, are named after rivers in the United Kingdom, mainly Scotland. These include the main streets Dee and Tay, as well as those named after the Tyne, Esk, Don, Thames, Mersey, Ness, Yarrow, Spey, and Eye rivers.

The population of Invercargill City in the 2006 census was 50,328 people; an increase of 498 people, or 1.0 percent, since the 2001 census.

Invercargill is home to the Southern Institute of Technology, which has introduced a zero-fees scheme. The scheme was partly responsible for rejuvenating the city when it was in a steady state of population decline. However the major factor in Invercargill's regrowth is the dairy industrial boom of the first decade of the 21st century due to an increased demand for New Zealand milk, cheese and butter. New dairy factories have opened around the province of Southland, as well as more efficient meat processing works and research and development facilities.

Invercargill is on the Southern Scenic Route (tourist road), allowing day trips to Queenstown, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Dunedin, Te Anau and Fiordland.

As of 2008, there have been plans to develop wind power and hydroelectric schemes and plans to survey the Great South Basin for oil extraction.