Darfield is a town in the Selwyn District of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 35 kilometres west of Christchurch and has a population of as of .
A stone mill for grinding flour was built in 1887. It was powered by the Selwyn County Council's water race.
2000s–present
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred near Darfield at 4:35 am on 4 September 2010, causing widespread damage to both the town and to surrounding areas, including the city of Christchurch.
Fonterra invested $500 million in a milk processing plant, which was opened in 2013 in Darfield. This includes the world's largest dryer, which is used in the process to make instant whole milk powder.
Climate
Located on the Canterbury Plains at an altitude of above sea level, the Köppen-Geiger climate classification for Darfield is Cfb (Oceanic). On several days a year, Darfield is subject to the nor'west Foehn wind, which is very dry and has the capability to raise the temperature by several degrees per hour. On the contrary, the town is also susceptible to cold blasts from the Southern Ocean, especially during winter, when a southerly wind blows.
The average annual temperature in Darfield is . The highest recorded temperature is , set on 7 February 1973, while the lowest recorded temperature is , set on 7 June 2012. The highest minimum temperature is , set on 6 February 2011, while the lowest maximum temperature is , set on 12 July 2017. On average every year Darfield can expect to see 45 days exceeding and 8 days exceeding while seeing on average 34 nights that drop below .
Demographics
Darfield is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area, and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km<sup>2</sup>.