Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim
Waiharakeke (Māori) | |
|---|---|
Blenheim pictured from the International Space Station (ISS) | |
Blenheim | |
| Coordinates: 41°30′50″S 173°57′36″E / 41.514°S 173.960°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Marlborough |
| Territorial authority | Marlborough District |
| Established | 1850s |
| Named after | Battle of Blenheim |
| Member of Parliament | Stuart Smith, Kaikoura Electorate |
| Suburbs | List
|
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nadine Taylor |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.46 km2 (10.60 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2025) | |
• Total | 29,800 |
| • Density | 1,090/km2 (2,810/sq mi) |
| Postcode | 7201 |
| Area code | 03 |
Blenheim (/ˈblɛnɪm/ BLEN-im; Māori: Waiharakeke) is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an estimated population of 29,800 as of June 2025. The surrounding Marlborough wine region is well known as the centre of the New Zealand wine industry. It enjoys one of New Zealand's sunniest climates, with warm, relatively dry summers and cool, crisp winters.
Blenheim is named after the Battle of Blenheim (1704) in the War of the Spanish Succession, where troops led by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough defeated a combined French and Bavarian force. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "flax stream" for the town's Māori name, Waiharakeke.