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Suburb profile · Auckland · NZ

Hillcrest East (Auckland) NZ

Hillcrest East (Auckland) is in Auckland, New Zealand, with population 3,900.

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.

$260/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$580
$190
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$600/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D6 vs NZ
Population
3,900
4K local footprint
D10 vs NZ
Income
$52K/yr
Median personal income
D9 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 8
Higher deprivation
D8 vs NZ
Schools
1
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 Hillcrest East (Auckland), not a Hillcrest East (Auckland)-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents recovering
Low · 2022Peak · 2020

30.7% below peak rent · 23.8% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +2.0%/yr · 5-yr +3.9%/yr

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

Personal income

$52K personal · yr+15.4% 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

Total1
Students599
State1
  • Willow Park SchoolContributing · StateZoned

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

Livability

88/ 100 livability index

Top 12% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access77
Public transport94
Schools & hospitals29

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
9 houses · 2 units
85.5%YoY D10 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
3,912
Was 3,687 in 2018
6.1%vs 2018 D10 vs NZ

Full data detail

Hillcrest East (Auckland) Auckland — Property Data and Demographics

Hillcrest East (Auckland) is a small suburb in Auckland with a population of 3,900 and a median age of 36. Median personal income is $52K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, 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 3,687 in 2018 to 3,912 in 2023 (+6.1%), 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 Hillcrest East (Auckland) is $600 (600 houses, 590 units). This represents approximately 60% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Hillcrest East (Auckland): NZDep decile 8 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 365; 21 transport stops (21 bus).

In 2026, Hillcrest East (Auckland) recorded 11 building approvals (9 houses, 2 units), down 85.5% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability60% Stretched
School QualityEQI 365 Above Average
DeprivationDecile 8 High
Transport Access21 stops Well Connected
Development-85% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$600
House · wk$600
Unit · wk$590
Rent / income60.3%
Lodgements84
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)11
Houses9
Units2
YoY change-85.5%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population3,900
Median age36
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$51,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived8/10
NZDep score1047

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European2,067
Asian1,626
Māori297
Pacific Peoples150
MELAA129
Top industriesCensus 23
Professional, Scientific and Technical330
Construction231
Retail Trade225
Health Care and Social Assistance213
Education and Training189
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics2
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining5
TransportGTFS
Bus stops21
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Hillcrest East (Auckland) 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 · 1 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 · 21 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.

Hillcrest East (Auckland) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Hillcrest East (Auckland)?

    The median weekly rent in Hillcrest East (Auckland) is $600/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 Hillcrest East (Auckland)?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 60% 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 Hillcrest East (Auckland)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Hillcrest East (Auckland) show: Stretched, Above Average, High. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Hillcrest East (Auckland)?

    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 Hillcrest East (Auckland) 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.