Ruby Bay
locality in Tasman District, New Zealand
Ruby Bay is a settlement in the Tasman District of New Zealand's upper South Island. It is located between Māpua and Tasman on Te Mamaku / Ruby Bay. Ruby Bay was named after small 'rubies' (red chert) found within the moutere gravel.
Demographics
Ruby Bay is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 4.83 km2 (1.86 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 810 as of June 2025, with a population density of 168 people per km2. It is part of the larger Ruby Bay statistical area.
Ruby Bay had a population of 795 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 30 people (3.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 111 people (16.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 393 males and 402 females in 342 dwellings. 1.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 57.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Ruby Bay” is locality in Tasman District, New Zealand. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Ruby, locality and Tasman, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “locality in Tasman District, New Zealand” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q65430696. Authority coordinates are -41.236, 173.083. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2025, 2023, 2018 and 2013.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ruby Bay”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ruby Bay primary sources, Ruby Bay archive and Ruby research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ruby Bay”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ruby Bay” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.