Hamilton, city in northern New Zealand, on North Island, on the Waikato River. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand and the commercial center for a large area of North Island. In the surrounding region, dairying, lumbering, grass farming, and the raising of sheep, cattle, and pigs are important. The University of Waikato (1964) is here. The Ruakura Animal Research Station, nearby to the east, is internationally known. Parks lie along the river and at Lake Hamilton. The city was settled by soldiers during the Maori uprisings of the 1860s. Population (1998 estimate) 167,200.
