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Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

Kaikōura NZ

Kaikōura is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 2,316.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

$390/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$550
$280
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Approvals activity points to active development pressure. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

See what's missing → Compare suburb Open matching ranking
Median rent
$470/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
2,316
2K local footprint
D6 vs NZ
Income
$33K/yr
Median personal income
D2 vs NZ
NZDep
—
No deprivation index
Schools
3
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Kaikoura District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$730K
+42.5% over 5yr
↑7.4%YoY
Lower quartile
$626K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,874
QV-based HPI
↑34.6%5yr
Income to buy
11.1x
Years of median income
Annual sales
67
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,384/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
62%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
14.7 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,555
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,226
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,384
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,447

A territorial-authority estimate: the Kaikoura 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 Kaikōura-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +2.5%5yr +31.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Kaikoura 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 Kaikoura 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 Kaikōura, not a Kaikōura-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Derived from this suburb's own tenancy-bond rent history
Rent cycle positionRents easing
Low · 2021Peak · 2025

29.1% below peak rent · 39.3% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr -7.5%/yr · 5-yr +6.9%/yr

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

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$33K personal · yr-20.2% vs Canterbury suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
177
$10,001-$20,000
282
$20,001-$30,000
468
$30,001-$50,000
453
$50,001-$70,000
333
$70,001-$100,000
183
$100,001 or more
87

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

Stats NZ Census 2013-2023
Home ownership over three censuses+10.5pp since 2013
2013
59% owned
2018
61% owned
2023
70% owned

33.5% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (-4pp vs 2018) and 8% 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

Stats NZ projections · Kaikoura District · medium series
4,260 people · 20234,470 by 2033 (+4.9%)

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

Crime

Kaikoura District · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k3,060
Total incidents129· 2026-05
  • Sexual Assault43%
  • Theft8365%
  • Assault1613%
  • Burglary2419%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
8.8 km
Hope Fault
Fault slip rate
Very High
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Kaikōura'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

Inside Airbnb
189
active listings · ~81.6 per 1,000 residents
75%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
79%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$306
median nightly (entire home)
30%
estimated occupancy
$34,944
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

Ministry of Education
Total3
Students410
State2
State : Integrated1
  • Kaikōura High SchoolSecondary (Year 7-15) · State
  • Kaikōura Primary SchoolContributing · State
  • St Joseph's School (Kaikōura)Full Primary · State : Integrated

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
86/ 100 livability index

Top 14% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 86% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access93
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals89

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

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Fgrade · 2/100 · top 98% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 2% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth91
Rental yield8
Stability2

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

Similar-rent suburbs in other territorial authorities that rate higher on a metric.

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · 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

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
22
7 houses · 15 units
↑15.8%YoY D9 vs NZ

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
1,131
Was 1,287 in 2018
↓12.1%vs 2018 D5 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Kaikōura Canterbury — Property Data and Demographics

Kaikōura is a small suburb in Canterbury with a population of 2,316 and a median age of 53. Median personal income is $33K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.1% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.1% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,287 in 2018 to 1,131 in 2023 (-12.1%), 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 Kaikōura is $470 (470 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 74% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Kaikōura: 3 schools with avg EQI 459.

In 2026, Kaikōura recorded 22 building approvals (7 houses, 15 units), up 15.8% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability74%↓ Stretched
School QualityEQI 459· Average
Development+16%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$470
House · wk$470
Rent / income73.8%
Lodgements27
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)22
Houses 32%Units 68%
YoY change+15.8%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,316
Median age53
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$33,100
EthnicityCensus 23
European1,980
Māori456
Asian105
Pacific Peoples30
MELAA21
Top industriesCensus 23
Accommodation and Food249
Retail Trade135
Construction114
Health Care and Social Assistance96
Transport, Postal and Warehousing93
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations5
Cafes & dining31
new world1
Nearby in Canterbury1
Kaikōura Ranges1,899
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Kaikōura 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 · 3 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 · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Kaikōura still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is useful, but thinner than the strongest NZ suburb profiles.

Use it as a quick locality brief first, especially if you are comparing it against larger or more fully covered suburbs.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across hospital coverage, transport stops, and deprivation index.

The main gaps on this page are hospital coverage, transport stops, and deprivation index. That means you should avoid treating one sparse reading as the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

If it still looks worth a look, use compare, the region hub, or a larger nearby suburb to check the story against denser coverage.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Frame the locality with this page, then pressure-test the story in compare, the region hub, or a better-covered nearby suburb before calling it complete.

Next step path
COMPARE OR CHECK NEARBY Open region hub Browse rankings
Stronger nearby reads

If Kaikōura feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Kaikōura Ranges most similar
similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -400 · income +$1K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Detail Compare

Kaikōura FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Kaikōura is $470/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 Kaikōura?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 74% 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 Kaikōura?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Kaikōura?

    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 Kaikōura 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.

Canterbury

Kaikōura sits in Canterbury — explore the region.