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Suburb profile · Hawke's Bay · NZ

Napier Central NZ

Napier Central is in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, with population 384.

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.

$650/wk
1/04/2020 → 1/01/2025 · 14 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2025
$650
$413
1/04/20201/01/2025
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Open matching ranking
Median rent
$413/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D1 vs NZ
Population
384
384 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$34K/yr
Median personal income
D2 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 10
Higher deprivation
D10 vs NZ
Schools
—
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Napier City territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$687K
+3.6% over 5yr
↓2.1%YoY
Lower quartile
$586K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,145
QV-based HPI
↓5.9%5yr
Income to buy
8.3x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,141
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,186/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
46%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
11.1 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,348
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,038
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,186
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,246

A territorial-authority estimate: the Napier City 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 Napier Central-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -0.9%5yr -8.0%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Napier City 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 Napier City 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 Napier Central, not a Napier Central-specific sale price.

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$34K personal · yr-15% vs Hawke's Bay suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
45
$10,001-$20,000
42
$20,001-$30,000
63
$30,001-$50,000
87
$50,001-$70,000
60
$70,001-$100,000
27
$100,001 or more
21

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+2.3pp since 2013
2013
27% owned
2018
33% owned
2023
29% owned

15.7% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

22% damp (-2pp vs 2018) and 9% with visible mould larger than A4 (-8pp 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 · Napier City · medium series
66,200 people · 202369,800 by 2033 (+5.4%)

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

Crime

Napier City · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k7,306
Total incidents4,727· 2026-05
  • Assault61838%
  • Burglary90556%
  • Robbery573%
  • Sexual Assault493%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
10.2 km
Unnamed

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Napier Central'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
56
active listings · ~145.8 per 1,000 residents
95%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
73%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$289
median nightly (entire home)
13%
estimated occupancy
$16,962
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.

Stronger alternatives nearby

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

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

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
→0.0%YoY

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
228
Was 276 in 2018
↓17.4%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Napier Central Hawke's Bay — Property Data and Demographics

Napier Central is a small community in Hawke's Bay with a population of 384 and a median age of 38. Median personal income is $34K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Hawke's Bay population estimates moved -0.1% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +0.5% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 276 in 2018 to 228 in 2023 (-17.4%), 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 Napier Central is $413 (413 houses, 450 units). This represents approximately 63% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Napier Central: NZDep decile 10 (high deprivation); 14 transport stops (14 bus).

In 2026, Napier Central recorded 0 building approvals (0 houses, 0 units), up 0% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability63%↓ Stretched
DeprivationDecile 10↓ High
Transport Access14 stops· Some Access
Development+0%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/04/2021)$413
House · wk$413
Unit · wk$450
Rent / income63.0%
Lodgements18
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change+0%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population384
Median age38
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$34,100
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived10/10
NZDep score1126

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European222
Māori153
Asian69
Pacific Peoples24
Top industriesCensus 23
Accommodation and Food54
Manufacturing24
Retail Trade24
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing18
Professional, Scientific and Technical18
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets6
Pharmacies4
GP / clinics4
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining80
countdown2
paknsave1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops14
Nearby in Hawke's Bay12
Maraenui3,780Marewa East3,447Onekawa East1,722Onekawa West225Nelson Park2,172Tamatea North1,734Ahuriri1,155Tamatea West2,043Pirimai West1,704Marewa West1,710Tamatea East1,785Pirimai East2,316
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Napier Central 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 · 1/04/2021 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 14 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.

Napier Central FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Napier Central is $413/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 Napier Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 63% 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 Napier Central?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Napier Central show: Stretched, High, Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Napier Central?

    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 Napier Central 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.

Hawke's Bay

Napier Central sits in Hawke's Bay — explore the region.