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Suburb profile · Manawatu-Whanganui · NZ

Ōhakune NZ

Ōhakune is in Manawatu-Whanganui, New Zealand, with population 1,284.

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.

$410/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$630
$175
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal.

Median rent
$425/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D1 vs NZ
Population
1,284
1K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$40K/yr
Median personal income
D5 vs NZ
NZDep
No deprivation index
Schools
3
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$345K
+9.9% over 5yr
4.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$287K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
5,040
QV-based HPI
3.7%5yr
Income to buy
5.3x
Years of median income
Annual sales
198
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$1,600/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
30%
of gross household income
Stress level
Comfortable
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
7.1 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$1,681
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$1,526
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$1,600
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$1,630

A territorial-authority estimate: the Ruapehu 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 Ōhakune-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +2.7%5yr -6.2%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Ruapehu 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 Ruapehu 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 Ōhakune, not a Ōhakune-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents easing
Low · 2020Peak · 2023

18.0% below peak rent · 64.0% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr -6.4%/yr · 5-yr +4.8%/yr

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

Personal income

$40K personal · yr+9.3% vs Manawatu-Whanganui suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
111
$10,001-$20,000
108
$20,001-$30,000
168
$30,001-$50,000
201
$50,001-$70,000
162
$70,001-$100,000
126
$100,001 or more
114

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+9.7pp since 2013
2013
52% owned
2018
56% owned
2023
62% owned

61.8% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

18% damp (-8pp vs 2018) and 13% with visible mould larger than A4 (-6pp 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

13,450 people · 202313,750 by 2033 (+2.2%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k4,002
Total incidents524· 2026-05
  • Assault10236%
  • Burglary16257%
  • Robbery93%
  • Sexual Assault114%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Very high
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
<1 km
Unnamed

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Ōhakune'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

314
active listings · ~244.5 per 1,000 residents
95%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
64%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$307
median nightly (entire home)
13%
estimated occupancy
$15,777
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

Total3
Students560
State3
  • Ohakune SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Ruapehu CollegeSecondary (Year 9-15) · State
  • TKKM o Ngati RangiFull Primary · State

Livability

86/ 100 livability index

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

Peer distributionstronger than 86% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access92
Public transport (2 stops)22
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

Agrade · 91/100 · top 9% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 91% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth22
Rental yield97
Stability98

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

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
6
6 houses · 0 units
57.1%YoY D7 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
693
Was 669 in 2018
3.6%vs 2018 D3 vs NZ

Full data detail

Ōhakune Manawatu-Whanganui — Property Data and Demographics

Ōhakune is a small community in Manawatu-Whanganui with a population of 1,284 and a median age of 35. Median personal income is $40K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Manawatu-Whanganui population estimates moved +0.2% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +0.9% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 669 in 2018 to 693 in 2023 (+3.6%), 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 Ōhakune is $425 (425 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 55% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Ōhakune: 3 schools with avg EQI 504; 2 transport stops (2 bus).

In 2026, Ōhakune recorded 6 building approvals (6 houses, 0 units), down 57.1% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability55% Stretched
School QualityEQI 504 Below Average
Transport Access2 stops· Some Access
Development-57% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$425
House · wk$425
Rent / income55.1%
Lodgements45
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)6
Houses6
YoY change-57.1%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,284
Median age35
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$40,100
EthnicityCensus 23
European909
Māori513
Asian81
Pacific Peoples33
MELAA18
Top industriesCensus 23
Manufacturing102
Accommodation and Food84
Education and Training81
Construction66
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing60
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining20
new world1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops2
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Ōhakune 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 · 2 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.

Ōhakune FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Ōhakune is $425/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 Ōhakune?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 55% 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 Ōhakune?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Ōhakune?

    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 Ōhakune 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.