West Otago

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West Otago is a rural region in Otago, New Zealand, near the border with Southland. It is administratively part of South Otago but sits apart from it geographically because of the Blue Mountains. The biggest towns are Tapanui and Heriot, with other places including Moa Flat, Edievale, Crookston, Merino Downs and Waikoikoi. Sometimes the area is considered larger and includes Lawrence, Clinton and Beaumont, and the ghost town Kelso sits within West Otago. Notable features include Conical Hill and Landslip Hill, a major fossil site. State Highway 90 runs north–south through the Pomahaka valley, linking SH 1 near Gore with SH 8 at Raes Junction. The area was once served by the Tapanui Branch railway from 1880 to 1978.

European settlement began in the 1850s. Early settlers included William Pinkerton, who started farming around Tapanui in 1857, and Adam Oliver with his wife Agnes in the Pomahaka valley in 1856. Before Europeans arrived, the land was mainly used by Māori for moa hunting and had few permanent settlements. The landscape is rolling farmland with forested hills beside the Pomahaka River. The main industry is livestock farming (sheep and cattle), and Tapanui has a history as a forestry centre.

West Otago covers about 1,375 square kilometres and had an estimated population of around 2,260 in 2025, making for a low population density. In the 2018 census the population was 2,289. The community is predominantly European/Pākehā, with Māori and small numbers of other groups represented. About half the people have no religion, with a sizable Christian minority. The median age is about 40, and many residents work full-time in farming or related industries.