Skip to content
Suburb profile · Otago · NZ

Kelvin Heights NZ

Kelvin Heights is in Otago, New Zealand, with population 1,185.

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.

$1200/wk
1/04/2020 → 1/07/2025 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/07/2025
$1200
$575
1/04/20201/07/2025
Why it fits

Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
$1200/wk
Rent-pressure candidate
D10 vs NZ
Population
1,185
1K local footprint
D2 vs NZ
Income
$55K/yr
Median personal income
D9 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 1
Lower deprivation
D1 vs NZ
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$1.33M
+37.6% over 5yr
2.3%YoY
Lower quartile
$972K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,629
QV-based HPI
33.5%5yr
Income to buy
10.9x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,150
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Queenstown Lakes 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 Kelvin Heights, not a Kelvin Heights-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2023Peak · 2025

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +19.7%/yr · 5-yr +14.9%/yr

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

Personal income

$55K personal · yr+32.8% 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
3
3 houses · 0 units
80.0%YoY D7 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
711
Was 714 in 2018
0.4%vs 2018 D3 vs NZ

Full data detail

Kelvin Heights Otago — Property Data and Demographics

Kelvin Heights is a small community in Otago with a population of 1,185 and a median age of 43. Median personal income is $55K 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 714 in 2018 to 711 in 2023 (-0.4%), 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 Kelvin Heights is $1200 (1,200 houses, 550 units). This represents approximately 114% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Kelvin Heights: NZDep decile 1 (low deprivation (affluent)).

In 2026, Kelvin Heights recorded 3 building approvals (3 houses, 0 units), down 80% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability114% Stretched
DeprivationDecile 1 Low
Development-80% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/07/2025)$1200
House · wk$1200
Unit · wk$550
Rent / income114.1%
Lodgements18
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)3
Houses3
YoY change-80%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,185
Median age43
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$54,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived1/10
NZDep score892

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,035
Asian78
Māori69
MELAA39
Pacific Peoples9
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction111
Accommodation and Food93
Professional, Scientific and Technical84
Retail Trade63
Transport, Postal and Warehousing42
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining2
Shortlist workspace

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

Current status
Add Kelvin Heights 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
Usable evidence

Kelvin Heights works as a starting read but 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 · 1/07/2025 · 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 Kelvin Heights 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 main gaps on this page are school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops. That means you should avoid treating one sparse reading as the whole suburb story.

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

If the area still looks interesting, open compare, the region hub, or a nearby larger suburb to test whether the story holds up with 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 Kelvin Heights feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Queenstown East most similar
similar rent profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -100 · rent +$100/wk · income -$3K

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

Quail Rise most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop -400 · rent -$377/wk · income +$2K

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

Frankton Arm most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop +700 · rent -$300/wk · income -$2K

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

Kelvin Heights FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Kelvin Heights is $1200/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent-pressure candidate.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Kelvin Heights?

    Rent-pressure candidate: Kelvin Heights rents screen above the local benchmark. 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 Kelvin Heights?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Kelvin Heights?

    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 Kelvin Heights 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.