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Suburb profile · Otago · NZ

Fernhill NZ

Fernhill is in Otago, New Zealand, with population 1,653.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

$250/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$395
$185
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting. Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$478/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
1,653
2K local footprint
D4 vs NZ
Income
$33K/yr
Median personal income
D2 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 8
Higher deprivation
D8 vs NZ
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$588K
+8.5% over 5yr
0.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$484K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,565
QV-based HPI
1.1%5yr
Income to buy
7.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
2,427
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Dunedin 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 Fernhill, not a Fernhill-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents recovering
Low · 2020Peak · 2022

36.7% below peak rent · 25.0% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +0.7%/yr · 5-yr +2.6%/yr

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

Personal income

$33K personal · yr-21.1% vs Otago 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.

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
942
Was 915 in 2018
3.0%vs 2018 D4 vs NZ

Full data detail

Fernhill Otago — Property Data and Demographics

Fernhill is a small community in Otago with a population of 1,653 and a median age of 34. Median personal income is $33K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Otago population estimates moved +1.2% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.6% 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 915 in 2018 to 942 in 2023 (+3.0%), 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 Fernhill is $478 (478 houses, 470 units). This represents approximately 76% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Fernhill: NZDep decile 8 (high deprivation).

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability76% Stretched
DeprivationDecile 8 High
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$478
House · wk$478
Unit · wk$470
Rent / income76.5%
Lodgements27
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,653
Median age34
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$32,500
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived8/10
NZDep score1048

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,170
Asian330
Māori207
Pacific Peoples93
MELAA54
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance150
Retail Trade105
Accommodation and Food96
Education and Training93
Professional, Scientific and Technical78
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining0
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
Add Fernhill if it deserves a shortlist slot.

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Sources & freshness
Usable evidence

Fernhill is usable, but it still needs cross-checking.

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 · 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 · 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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Fernhill still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is useful, but thinner than the strongest NZ suburb profiles.

Read it as a quick locality brief, particularly when weighing it against larger or better-covered suburbs.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops.

The lighter areas here are school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops, so one sparse reading should not stand in for the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

If it still looks worth a look, use compare, the region hub, or a larger nearby suburb to check the story against denser coverage.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Let this page frame the locality, then check the story against compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as final.

Stronger nearby reads

If Fernhill feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Corstorphine most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop +400 · rent +$2/wk · income same $

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Pine Hill-Dalmore most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop +600 · rent +$120/wk · income same $

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Calton Hill most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop -200 · rent +$72/wk · income +$7K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Fernhill FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Fernhill is $478/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 Fernhill?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 76% 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 Fernhill?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Fernhill?

    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 Fernhill 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.