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Suburb profile · Bay of Plenty · NZ

Pleasant Heights NZ

Pleasant Heights is in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, with population 2,223.

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.

$595/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$600
$423
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
$595/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D5 vs NZ
Population
2,223
2K local footprint
D6 vs NZ
Income
$36K/yr
Median personal income
D3 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 10
Higher deprivation
D10 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$602K
+14.3% over 5yr
2.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$510K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,051
QV-based HPI
6.6%5yr
Income to buy
7.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
767
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$2,792/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
39%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
9.4 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$2,934
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,662
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$2,792
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$2,844

A territorial-authority estimate: the Rotorua District median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a Pleasant Heights-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +2.2%5yr -1.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Rotorua District territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Rotorua District territorial authority (as at 2026-03). 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 Pleasant Heights, not a Pleasant Heights-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2022Peak · 2024

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +7.8%/yr · 5-yr +2.3%/yr

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

Personal income

$36K personal · yr-7.6% vs Bay of Plenty suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
267
$10,001-$20,000
171
$20,001-$30,000
264
$30,001-$50,000
372
$50,001-$70,000
330
$70,001-$100,000
153
$100,001 or more
72

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. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Home ownership over three censuses-0.7pp since 2013
2013
57% owned
2018
54% owned
2023
56% owned

10.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

35% damp (-4pp vs 2018) and 30% with visible mould larger than A4 (-4pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

76,600 people · 202381,100 by 2033 (+5.9%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for Rotorua District — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Rate · per 100k9,669
Total incidents7,161· 2026-05
  • Assault73230%
  • Burglary1,55564%
  • Robbery693%
  • Sexual Assault582%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
4.4 km
Unnamed

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Pleasant Heights's centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer.

Short-term rentals

13
active listings · ~5.8 per 1,000 residents
92%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
54%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$262
median nightly (entire home)
30%
estimated occupancy
$32,606
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Schools

Total1
Students421
State1
  • Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua)Contributing · 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

51/ 100 livability index

Top 49% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 51% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access64
Public transport (7 stops)45
Schools & hospitals32

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

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.

Investment grade

Bgrade · 67/100 · top 33% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 67% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth38
Rental yield63
Stability78

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · cross-TA

Less deprived

lower NZDep decile · cross-TA

Alternatives are similar-rent suburbs (0.6–1.6x this suburb's median rent) in other territorial authorities that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
978
Was 894 in 2018
9.4%vs 2018 D4 vs NZ

Full data detail

Pleasant Heights Bay of Plenty — Property Data and Demographics

Pleasant Heights is a small suburb in Bay of Plenty with a population of 2,223 and a median age of 30. Median personal income is $36K per year. The main ethnic groups are Māori, European, Pacific Peoples. Bay of Plenty population estimates moved +0.3% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +1.1% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 894 in 2018 to 978 in 2023 (+9.4%), 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 Pleasant Heights is $595 (595 houses, 610 units). This represents approximately 85% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Pleasant Heights: NZDep decile 10 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 536; 7 transport stops (7 bus).

In 2026, Pleasant Heights recorded 0 building approvals (0 houses, 0 units), down 100% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability85% Stretched
School QualityEQI 536 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 10 High
Transport Access7 stops· Some Access
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$595
House · wk$595
Unit · wk$610
Rent / income85.2%
Lodgements36
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,223
Median age30
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$36,300
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived10/10
NZDep score1142

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
Māori1,365
European1,173
Pacific Peoples204
Asian126
MELAA12
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance120
Manufacturing117
Construction108
Accommodation and Food99
Retail Trade84
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining5
TransportGTFS
Bus stops7
Hospitals · Rotorua DistrictMoH
Rotorua HospitalPublic Hospital
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Pleasant Heights 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 · 7 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.

Pleasant Heights FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Pleasant Heights?

    The median weekly rent in Pleasant Heights is $595/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 Pleasant Heights?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 85% 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 Pleasant Heights?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Pleasant Heights show: Stretched, Below Average, High. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Pleasant Heights?

    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 Pleasant Heights 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.