Calton Hill, New Zealand

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Calton Hill, Dunedin

Calton Hill is a small, mostly residential suburb in Dunedin, New Zealand. It sits about 6 km southwest of Dunedin’s city centre and is named after Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Size and borders
Calton Hill covers about 0.66 square kilometres. The Dunedin Southern Motorway forms its northern edge. To the south and west lies farmland, and to the east are streets such as Corstorphine Road and Sidey Street. It borders Lookout Point, Caversham, Corstorphine and Burnside.

Population
As of June 2025, about 1,530 people live in Calton Hill. The area has about 2,300 people per square kilometre.

Community and services
Two bus routes serve the suburb. There is the Calton Hill Community Hall, a library book bus that visits weekly, two playgrounds, and sports fields beside Riselaw Road School. The nearby 3.4-hectare Caversham Forest Reserve has native plants and animals.

History in brief
- Before Europeans arrived, the area was covered by forest.
- In 1844–1848, the Otago Purchase helped push European settlement.
- The land was bought by John Sidey and later developed for farming.
- Rail tunnels were built under Calton Hill (1873 and 1910); a cable tram operated nearby (1880–1940).
- The suburb was officially named and set up in 1907.
- Major housing developed in the 1950s and 1960s, including state housing.
- Riselaw Road School opened in 1953. It is now Southern Health School on the same site.

Education
Closest secondary schools are Queen’s High and King’s High in Forbury, about 2–3 km away. The local primary area includes Carisbrook School Heights Site, now Southern Health School.

People
In 2018, Calton Hill had 1,482 residents. About 84% were European, 13.6% Māori, 7.5% Pasifika, and 4.3% Asian. About 14% were born overseas. The median age was 32.2 years.

Governance
Calton Hill is part of Dunedin City and the Otago Regional Council. It falls in Taieri electorate and Te Tai Tonga Māori seat. As of 2022, MPs are Ingrid Leary (Taieri) and Rino Tirikatene (Te Tai Tonga).