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Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

Upper Riccarton NZ

Upper Riccarton is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 1,521.

The read

Verify-first

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.

$1000/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$1100
$165
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

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

Median rent
$1000/wk
Rent-pressure candidate
D10 vs NZ
Population
1,521
2K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$22K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 9
Higher deprivation
D9 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$684K
+35.7% over 5yr
2.9%YoY
Lower quartile
$562K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,367
QV-based HPI
26.9%5yr
Income to buy
7.7x
Years of median income
Annual sales
9,490
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Christchurch City 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 Upper Riccarton, not a Upper Riccarton-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 +26.0%/yr · 5-yr +20.7%/yr

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

Personal income

$22K personal · yr-46% vs Canterbury 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
Students1,122
State1
  • Riccarton High SchoolSecondary (Year 9-15) · 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.

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
807
Was 840 in 2018
3.9%vs 2018 D3 vs NZ

Full data detail

Upper Riccarton Canterbury — Property Data and Demographics

Upper Riccarton is a small community in Canterbury with a population of 1,521 and a median age of 26. Median personal income is $22K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.6% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.9% 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 840 in 2018 to 807 in 2023 (-3.9%), 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 Upper Riccarton is $1000 (1,000 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 232% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Upper Riccarton: NZDep decile 9 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 440.

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability232% Stretched
School QualityEQI 440· Average
DeprivationDecile 9 High
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$1000
House · wk$1000
Rent / income232.1%
Lodgements18
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,521
Median age26
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$22,400
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived9/10
NZDep score1113

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European822
Asian522
Māori210
Pacific Peoples90
MELAA48
Top industriesCensus 23
Retail Trade108
Accommodation and Food108
Manufacturing93
Construction75
Health Care and Social Assistance69
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining2
countdown1
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Upper Riccarton 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 · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · 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.

Upper Riccarton FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Upper Riccarton is $1000/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent-pressure candidate.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Upper Riccarton?

    Rent-pressure candidate: Upper Riccarton rents screen above the local benchmark. 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 Upper Riccarton?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Upper Riccarton?

    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 Upper Riccarton 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.