Skip to content
Suburb profile · Manawatu-Whanganui · NZ

Kiwitea NZ

Kiwitea is in Manawatu-Whanganui, New Zealand, with population 1,506.

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.

Why it fits

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

Median rent
$350/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D1 vs NZ
Population
1,506
2K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$41K/yr
Median personal income
D5 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 5
Mid-range deprivation
D5 vs NZ
Schools
4
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$572K
+11.7% over 5yr
1.3%YoY
Lower quartile
$487K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,461
QV-based HPI
0.7%5yr
Income to buy
6.5x
Years of median income
Annual sales
513
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Manawatu District 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 Kiwitea, not a Kiwitea-specific sale price.

Personal income

$41K personal · yr+11.7% vs Manawatu-Whanganui 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

Total4
Students215
State4
  • Kiwitea SchoolFull Primary · StateZoned
  • Te Kura aa Iwi o Ngaati KauwhataComposite · State
  • Waituna West SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Kimbolton SchoolFull Primary · State

1 of 4 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Livability

74/ 100 livability index

Top 26% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access15
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals95

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.

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
909
Was 870 in 2018
4.5%vs 2018 D4 vs NZ

Full data detail

Kiwitea Manawatu-Whanganui — Property Data and Demographics

Kiwitea is a small community in Manawatu-Whanganui with a population of 1,506 and a median age of 43. Median personal income is $41K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Manawatu-Whanganui population estimates moved +1.4% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.0% 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 870 in 2018 to 909 in 2023 (+4.5%), 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 Kiwitea is $350 (350 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 44% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Kiwitea: NZDep decile 5 (moderate deprivation); 4 schools with avg EQI 472.

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability44% Stretched
School QualityEQI 472· Average
DeprivationDecile 5· Moderate
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$350
House · wk$350
Rent / income44.4%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,506
Median age43
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$41,000
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived5/10
NZDep score980

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,359
Māori228
Asian39
Pacific Peoples9
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing360
Manufacturing63
Construction63
Health Care and Social Assistance57
Education and Training45
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining1
Shortlist workspace

Save suburbs here while you browse. Once the shortlist has two or more names, hand it straight into compare.

Current status
Add Kiwitea if it deserves a shortlist slot.

No saved NZ suburbs yet.

EMPTY SET

No saved suburbs yet. Start with one ranking or suburb page, then compare once you have two candidates.

Open rankings to save the first candidates.

Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Kiwitea 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 · 4 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.

Kiwitea FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Kiwitea is $350/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 Kiwitea?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 44% 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 Kiwitea?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Kiwitea?

    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 Kiwitea 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.