Wellington Region 4.8

The Wellington Region is a local government region of New Zealand that occupies the southern end of the North Island. The region covers an area of, and is home to a population ofThe region is named after Wellington, New Zealand's capital city and region's seat. The Wellington urban area, including the cities of Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, accounts for percent of the region's population; Other major urban areas include the Kapiti conurbation of Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati and Paekakariki, and the town of Masterton.Local governmentThe region is administered by the Wellington Regional Council, which uses the promotional name Greater Wellington Regional Council. The council region covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each of which has a rural hinterland; it extends up the west coast of the North Island, taking in the coastal settlements of the Kapiti Coast District, which includes the southern fringe of the area commonly known as Horowhenua and the town of Otaki; east of the Rimutaka Range it includes three largely rural districts containing most of Wairarapa, covering the towns of Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough. The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board.