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Suburb profile · Auckland · NZ

Forrest Hill West NZ

Forrest Hill West is in Auckland, New Zealand, with population 4,053.

The read

Livability-led

There are enough weaker signals here that you should expect trade-offs, not a clean local story. Compare it directly with stronger nearby suburbs before treating it as a preferred option.

$770/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$900
$535
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

Median rent
$770/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D9 vs NZ
Population
4,053
4K local footprint
D10 vs NZ
Income
$41K/yr
Median personal income
D5 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 5
Mid-range deprivation
D5 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$950K
+2.7% over 5yr
1.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$760K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,055
QV-based HPI
9.3%5yr
Income to buy
8.5x
Years of median income
Annual sales
22,902
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Auckland territorial authority (as at 2026-02). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Forrest Hill West, not a Forrest Hill West-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2026

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +11.9%/yr · 5-yr +4.6%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$41K personal · yr-9.2% vs Auckland suburb median

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure.

Schools

Total2
Students3,270
State2
  • Westlake Boys High SchoolSecondary (Year 9-15) · State
  • Forrest Hill SchoolContributing · StateZoned

1 of 2 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Livability

83/ 100 livability index

Top 17% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access56
Public transport77
Schools & hospitals68

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within New Zealand suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Building activity

Latest consents
11
3 houses · 8 units
65.6%YoY D10 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
2,175
Was 2,076 in 2018
4.8%vs 2018 D10 vs NZ

Full data detail

Forrest Hill West Auckland — Property Data and Demographics

Forrest Hill West is a small suburb in Auckland with a population of 4,053 and a median age of 37. Median personal income is $41K per year. The main ethnic groups are Asian, European, Māori. Auckland population estimates moved +2.5% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.2% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 2,076 in 2018 to 2,175 in 2023 (+4.8%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in Forrest Hill West is $770 (770 houses, 500 units). This represents approximately 98% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Forrest Hill West: NZDep decile 5 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 386; 12 transport stops (12 bus).

In 2026, Forrest Hill West recorded 11 building approvals (3 houses, 8 units), down 65.6% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability98% Stretched
School QualityEQI 386 Above Average
DeprivationDecile 5· Moderate
Transport Access12 stops· Some Access
Development-66% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$770
House · wk$770
Unit · wk$500
Rent / income98.4%
Lodgements87
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)11
Houses3
Units8
YoY change-65.6%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population4,053
Median age37
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$40,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived5/10
NZDep score967

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
Asian2,223
European1,605
Māori234
MELAA129
Pacific Peoples126
Top industriesCensus 23
Professional, Scientific and Technical306
Construction222
Retail Trade219
Health Care and Social Assistance189
Accommodation and Food171
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining3
TransportGTFS
Bus stops12
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Forrest Hill West has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Available
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 12 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.

Forrest Hill West FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Forrest Hill West?

    The median weekly rent in Forrest Hill West is $770/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Forrest Hill West?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 98% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Forrest Hill West?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Forrest Hill West show: Stretched, Above Average, Moderate. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Forrest Hill West?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the Forrest Hill West data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.