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.
Longwood Forest NZ
Longwood Forest is in Southland, New Zealand, with population 2,073.
Median rent
$345/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D1 vs NZ
Population
2,073
2K local footprint
D5 vs NZ
Income
$38K/yr
Median personal income
D4 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 7
Mid-range deprivation
D7 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context
Area prices & affordability
Median sale price
$542K
+42.3% over 5yr
↑8.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$423K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,354
QV-based HPI
↑29.0%5yr
Income to buy
6.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
379
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy
Figures are for the Southland 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 Longwood Forest, not a Longwood Forest-specific sale price.
Rent trend depth
Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2022Peak · 2025
At / near its highest median rent on record
Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.
Personal income
$38K personal · yr-8.9% vs Southland 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
Students215
State2
- Waiau Area SchoolComposite · State
- Hauroko Valley Primary SchoolFull Primary · State
Building activity
Latest consents
2
2 houses · 0 units
↓77.8%YoY D6 vs NZ
Employment
Employed residents
1,161
Was 1,140 in 2018
↑1.8%vs 2018 D6 vs NZ
Full data detail
Longwood Forest Southland — Property Data and Demographics
Longwood Forest is a small suburb in Southland with a population of 2,073 and a median age of 43. Median personal income is $38K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Southland population estimates moved +1.2% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +0.8% 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 1,140 in 2018 to 1,161 in 2023 (+1.8%), 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 Longwood Forest is $345 (345 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 48% of median weekly personal income.
Livability indicators for Longwood Forest: NZDep decile 7 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 476.
In 2026, Longwood Forest recorded 2 building approvals (2 houses, 0 units), down 77.8% year-on-year.
Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability48%↓ Stretched
School QualityEQI 476↓ Below Average
DeprivationDecile 7· Moderate
Development-78%↓ Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/04/2025)$345
House · wk$345
Rent / income47.6%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)2
Houses2
YoY change-77.8%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,073
Median age43
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$37,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived7/10
NZDep score1023
1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived
EthnicityCensus 23
European
Māori
Asian
Pacific Peoples
MELAA
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Manufacturing
Education and Training
Health Care and Social Assistance
Construction
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics3
Fuel stations2
Cafes & dining4
four square
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence
Longwood Forest 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 · 1/04/2025 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
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.
Longwood Forest FAQ
Common questions-
What is the typical weekly rent in Longwood Forest?
The median weekly rent in Longwood Forest is $345/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.
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What does the rent signal say about Longwood Forest?
Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 48% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.
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What is the livability profile for Longwood Forest?
QuickProperty's livability signals for Longwood Forest show: Stretched, Below Average, Moderate. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.
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Where does QuickProperty get its data for Longwood Forest?
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.
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How often is the Longwood Forest 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.