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Suburb profile · Marlborough · NZ

Waikawa (Marlborough District) NZ

Waikawa (Marlborough District) is in Marlborough, New Zealand, with population 1,659.

The read

Affordability-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.

$623/wk
1/10/2020 → 1/07/2025 · 5 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/07/2025
$623
$340
1/10/20201/07/2025
Median rent
$623/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D6 vs NZ
Population
1,659
2K local footprint
D4 vs NZ
Income
$37K/yr
Median personal income
D3 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 5
Mid-range deprivation
D5 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$642K
+25.4% over 5yr
0.8%YoY
Lower quartile
$529K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,667
QV-based HPI
1.3%5yr
Income to buy
8.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,010
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Marlborough 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 Waikawa (Marlborough District), not a Waikawa (Marlborough District)-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2025

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +21.2%/yr

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

Personal income

$37K personal · yr-5.7% vs Marlborough 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

Total2
Students511
State2
  • Queen Charlotte CollegeSecondary (Year 7-15) · State
  • Waikawa Bay SchoolContributing · State

Livability

45/ 100 livability index

Top 55% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access31
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals68

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
3
3 houses · 0 units
66.7%YoY D7 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,224
Was 1,200 in 2018
2.0%vs 2018 D6 vs NZ

Full data detail

Waikawa (Marlborough District) Marlborough — Property Data and Demographics

Waikawa (Marlborough District) is a small community in Marlborough with a population of 1,659 and a median age of 58. Median personal income is $37K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Marlborough population estimates moved +1.6% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.1% 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 1,200 in 2018 to 1,224 in 2023 (+2.0%), 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 Waikawa (Marlborough District) is $623 (623 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 88% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Waikawa (Marlborough District): NZDep decile 5 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 476.

In 2026, Waikawa (Marlborough District) recorded 3 building approvals (3 houses, 0 units), down 66.7% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability88% Stretched
School QualityEQI 476 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 5· Moderate
Development-67% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/07/2025)$623
House · wk$623
Rent / income88.3%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)3
Houses3
YoY change-66.7%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,659
Median age58
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$36,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived5/10
NZDep score965

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,461
Māori285
Asian39
Pacific Peoples18
MELAA9
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction96
Transport, Postal and Warehousing90
Accommodation and Food78
Manufacturing60
Retail Trade57
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining2
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Waikawa (Marlborough District) 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 · 1/07/2025 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 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.

Waikawa (Marlborough District) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Waikawa (Marlborough District)?

    The median weekly rent in Waikawa (Marlborough District) is $623/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 Waikawa (Marlborough District)?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 88% 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 Waikawa (Marlborough District)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Waikawa (Marlborough District) show: Stretched, Below Average, Moderate. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Waikawa (Marlborough District)?

    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 Waikawa (Marlborough District) 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.