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Suburb profile · Taranaki · NZ

Bell Block Central NZ

Bell Block Central is in Taranaki, New Zealand, with population 2,895.

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.

Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

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

Median rent
Census rent fallback
Population
2,895
3K local footprint
D8 vs NZ
Income
$38K/yr
Median personal income
D4 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 6
Mid-range deprivation
D6 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$664K
+27.2% over 5yr
4.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$552K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,885
QV-based HPI
15.0%5yr
Income to buy
7.9x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,382
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,080/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
44%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
10.5 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,236
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,937
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,080
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,137

A territorial-authority estimate: the New Plymouth District median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a Bell Block Central-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -0.9%5yr +9.2%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the New Plymouth District territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the New Plymouth District territorial authority (as at 2026-03). 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 Bell Block Central, not a Bell Block Central-specific sale price.

Personal income

$38K personal · yr-6% vs Taranaki suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
309
$10,001-$20,000
246
$20,001-$30,000
420
$30,001-$50,000
438
$50,001-$70,000
444
$70,001-$100,000
267
$100,001 or more
186

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. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Home ownership over three censuses+2.7pp since 2013
2013
72% owned
2018
70% owned
2023
74% owned

4.9% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (-2pp vs 2018) and 12% with visible mould larger than A4 (-3pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

89,600 people · 202396,300 by 2033 (+7.5%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for New Plymouth District — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Rate · per 100k3,691
Total incidents3,211· 2026-05
  • Assault53141%
  • Burglary62849%
  • Robbery595%
  • Sexual Assault756%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
14.0 km
Inglewood Fault
Fault slip rate
Low
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Bell Block Central's centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer.

Short-term rentals

16
active listings · ~5.5 per 1,000 residents
75%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
38%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$308
median nightly (entire home)
28%
estimated occupancy
$20,782
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Schools

Total1
Students315
State1
  • Puketapu School (New Plymouth)Full Primary · State

Livability

53/ 100 livability index

Top 47% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 53% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access77
Public transport (6 stops)39
Schools & hospitals32

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

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.

Investment grade

Cgrade · 55/100 · top 45% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 55% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth69
Rental yield48
Stability27

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
1
0 houses · 1 units
50.0%YoY D1 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,419
Was 1,326 in 2018
7.0%vs 2018 D7 vs NZ

Full data detail

Bell Block Central Taranaki — Property Data and Demographics

Bell Block Central is a small suburb in Taranaki with a population of 2,895 and a median age of 37. Median personal income is $38K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Taranaki population estimates moved +0.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +0.7% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,326 in 2018 to 1,419 in 2023 (+7.0%), 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.

Livability indicators for Bell Block Central: NZDep decile 6 (moderate deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 480; 6 transport stops (6 bus).

In 2026, Bell Block Central recorded 1 building approval (0 houses, 1 unit), down 50% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
School QualityEQI 480 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 6· Moderate
Transport Access6 stops· Some Access
Development-50% Slowing
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)1
Units1
YoY change-50%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,895
Median age37
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$37,600
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived6/10
NZDep score997

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European2,250
Māori669
Asian330
Pacific Peoples111
MELAA21
Top industriesCensus 23
Manufacturing237
Construction156
Health Care and Social Assistance141
Retail Trade120
Accommodation and Food96
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining3
TransportGTFS
Bus stops6
Hospitals · New Plymouth DistrictMoH
Taranaki Base HospitalPublic Hospital
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Usable evidence

Bell Block Central is usable as a read, though 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
Stats NZ Census 2023 · No linked local rent source
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Missing
Schools
MoE school directory · 1 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 · 6 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
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 Bell Block Central 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 missing a direct local rent signal.

That leaves the page relying more on Census and service context than on a stronger market read.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across hospital coverage.

Coverage is thinner on hospital coverage; don't let a single sparse read define the suburb.

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

Start with the region hub, compare view, or nearby better-covered suburbs before treating this page as a full market decision.

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

Lower Vogeltown most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop +100 · adds rent coverage · income +$4K

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

Kawaroa most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -500 · adds rent coverage · income +$2K

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

Merrilands most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop +100 · adds rent coverage · income same $

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

Bell Block Central FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Bell Block Central?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Bell Block Central show: Below Average, Moderate, Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Bell Block Central?

    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.

  3. How often is the Bell Block Central 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.