Nelson is a unitary authority area in the northern South Island. It covers 497 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 50,000.

Nelson is one of New Zealand’s oldest European settlements and the earliest European urban settlement in the South Island. In 1842, the New Zealand Company established an organised British settlement here, naming it after the renowned British naval commander Lord Horatio Nelson. Nelson was formally granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1858.

Major industries include tourism, forestry, fishing, livestock farming, horticulture, aviation, vehicle assembly, processing, information technology and services. Nelson has a mild, sunny climate, favourable port facilities and a vibrant arts and creative sector.

Exchanges between China and New Zealand began in Nelson. In 1842, Appo Hocton, the first Chinese person recorded as settling in New Zealand, landed and settled in Nelson. Nelson established a sister-city relationship with Huangshi, Hubei Province, in 1995 and a friendship-city relationship with Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, in 2014.

The current mayor is Nick Smith.