Last updated October 2026
Abbotsford is a residential suburb on the western side of Dunedin, set on a hillside above the valley of the Kaikorai Stream and its tributary, Miller Stream.
The streets are almost entirely houses, with virtually no shops of their own, so everyday errands are usually done in Green Island. Abbotsford School, a state full primary, sits among playing fields and is a focus of local life.
The suburb is also known for a major landslip that destroyed dozens of homes and changed how unstable ground is assessed before subdivision in New Zealand. Much of that ground is now open park and sports land. It is a quiet hillside place to live, with road and bus links toward the city and the Taieri.
Official Suburb Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 1,910, up 2% since 2018
- Land area
- 8.46 km²
- Location
- 6.4 km west of central Dunedin
- Council
- Dunedin City Council
- Neighbouring suburbs
- Mount Grand, Green Island, Mosgiel, North Taieri, Fairfield, Burnside, Chain Hills
- Getting there
- By car on State Highway 1 (the Dunedin Southern Motorway) or Main South Road. Orbus buses serve Abbotsford and connect with Green Island. Check the Otago Regional Council timetable before you travel, because southern routes are revised from time to time.
- Main shopping
- Green Island shops and services. Abbotsford itself has almost no retail.
- Schools
- Abbotsford School, a co-educational state full primary for Years 1 to 8.
- Nearby landmarks
- Sunnyvale Park; the landscaped site of the Abbotsford landslip; Abbotsford School grounds, including the community hall and pool.
Who Lives in Abbotsford
About 1,910 residents in 730 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
About Abbotsford
Abbotsford sits on a hill in the southwest of the Dunedin urban area, with State Highway 1 and the South Island Main Trunk railway running along its southern side. The railway reached Green Island in 1874.
Between the hill and the busier southern corridor is the valley of the Kaikorai Stream and Miller Stream. Published sources used for this guide do not record a traditional Māori name for the suburb, or a documented reason for the choice of the English name Abbotsford.
The hillside was not an obvious place for houses. A 1951 University of Otago geological report said the ground was unsuitable for building. That warning was lost or ignored.
Christie Street was already there before the Second World War, but subdivision around it began in earnest from 1953, the same period in which Abbotsford School opened. At the time of the landslip the suburb was part of Green Island Borough. It is now part of Dunedin City.
Today Abbotsford is a lived-in hillside suburb rather than a visitor destination. Houses line the streets, and there is almost no local retail or service strip. The school describes the setting as semi-rural, which fits the quieter edges of the hill even though the heart of the suburb is residential.
Sunnyvale, in the southwest of Abbotsford, was on the old main road south until a motorway extension bypassed it in 2002. Through-traffic now uses the motorway, which leaves the local streets quieter than they once were.
Day-to-day life centres on the school, sports grounds and the short trip to Green Island for shopping. The school grounds cover about 2.5 hectares and include a community hall and a heated pool used by local people as well as pupils. For a larger range of shops, services and public facilities, residents look beyond the suburb.
History and the Landslip
On the night of 8 August 1979 the hillside gave way. It was the largest landslip to have occurred in a built-up area of New Zealand. About 69 houses were destroyed or later removed, more than 600 people were evacuated, and no one was killed.
The worst injuries were minor. Some people had only moments to leave, and a group stranded on a moving island of ground had to be brought out across the broken slope.
The ground was already known to be unstable. Schist bedrock is covered by Abbotsford mudstone and a topping of sand and clay-rich soil that becomes slick when wet. Smaller slips had occurred in the area, including during construction of the Dunedin to Mosgiel rail line in 1914.
Cracks, broken pipes and slow movement were reported through the late 1960s and 1970s, and some houses were emptied in the weeks before the main slip. A state of civil emergency was declared on 6 August 1979, but a full evacuation had not been finished when the hill moved at about 9.07 pm on 8 August.
A Commission of Inquiry sat for 58 days and reported in November 1980. It found a geological predisposition to slippage, made worse by sand removal at the toe of the hill and by construction of both the housing area and the motorway.
The disaster led to tighter expectations around geological assessment before subdivision, and to later changes in landslip insurance rules. Much of the slipped land has since been landscaped into parkland, with trees planted to help hold the slope, and it now includes sports grounds.
Getting Around
Drivers reach Abbotsford from the Dunedin Southern Motorway or from Main South Road. The motorway extension that opened in 2002 took the main southern route off the old road through Sunnyvale, so local streets are no longer the through-route they once were.
The South Island Main Trunk runs along the southern side of the suburb. This guide did not confirm a passenger station in Abbotsford itself.
Public buses are part of the Orbus network run for Otago Regional Council. Services link Abbotsford with Green Island, and connections there are the practical way toward other parts of Dunedin.
Route numbers and frequencies on the southern network have been revised, including a planned Abbotsford loop toward the city via Kaikorai Valley Road. Use the council timetable or journey planner on the day you travel rather than relying on an old route number.
Community and the Outdoors
Abbotsford is not a beach suburb, and it is not a place of long public walking tracks. Outdoor time is mostly on local reserves, school fields and sports grounds.
Sunnyvale Park, in the southwest of the suburb, is the main sports ground serving Abbotsford and Green Island. The former landslip ground is the other standout open space: a landscaped slope and sports land rather than a staffed heritage site.
The school is the main community hub. Its hall and heated pool are used by local people, and the grounds give the suburb a large green centre that most streets do not have. There is no shopping strip to wander. For cafés, supermarkets and other services, Green Island is the usual stop.
Near Abbotsford
Just outside Abbotsford, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
Abbotsford, New Zealand (Wikipedia): overview of the suburb, Sunnyvale, the school and the landslip, with links to census, map and school sources.
Abbotsford landslide (Christchurch City Libraries): a clear public account of the 1979 slip, the rescue and the inquiry, with further reading.
Dunedin bus timetables (Otago Regional Council): current Orbus routes and times for Abbotsford and Green Island.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abbotsford part of Dunedin?
Yes. It is a suburb of Dunedin and is in the Dunedin City Council area.
Does Abbotsford have its own shops?
Almost none. It is a residential suburb, and people generally use the shops and services in Green Island.
How do I get to Abbotsford by bus?
Orbus buses serve Abbotsford and link it with Green Island. Southern routes change, so check the Otago Regional Council timetable or journey planner before you travel.
What school is in Abbotsford?
Abbotsford School, a co-educational state full primary for Years 1 to 8. It was established in 1953. The grounds include a community hall and a heated pool used by local people.
What was the Abbotsford landslip?
On the night of 8 August 1979 a large part of the hillside gave way. It was the largest landslip in a built-up area in New Zealand. About 69 houses were destroyed or relocated, more than 600 people were evacuated, and no one was killed.
Can I visit the landslip site?
Much of the slipped ground has been turned into park and sports land, with trees planted to help hold the slope. It is ordinary public open space, not a staffed visitor centre. Keep to formed areas.
Is there a railway station in Abbotsford?
The South Island Main Trunk runs along the southern side of the suburb. This research did not confirm a passenger station in Abbotsford itself.
When was the housing area developed?
Subdivision around Christie Street began in earnest from 1953, the same period in which the school opened. At the time of the landslip the suburb was part of Green Island Borough.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Explore Dunedin only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Abbotsford is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.