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Suburb profile · Waikato · NZ

Puniu NZ

Puniu is in Waikato, New Zealand, with population 1,587.

Median rent
$430/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D1 vs NZ
Population
1,587
2K local footprint
D4 vs NZ
Income
$29K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 7
Mid-range deprivation
D7 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Otorohanga District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$522K
+25.8% over 5yr
↑2.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$449K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,981
QV-based HPI
↑12.6%5yr
Income to buy
6.3x
Years of median income
Annual sales
73
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$2,421/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
35%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
8.3 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$2,544
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,309
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$2,421
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$2,466

A territorial-authority estimate: the Otorohanga 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 Puniu-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -6.0%5yr -2.2%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Otorohanga 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 Otorohanga 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 Puniu, not a Puniu-specific sale price.

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$29K personal · yr-33% vs Waikato suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
438
$10,001-$20,000
117
$20,001-$30,000
108
$30,001-$50,000
180
$50,001-$70,000
210
$70,001-$100,000
147
$100,001 or more
96

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

Stats NZ Census 2013-2023
Home ownership over three censuses+0.7pp since 2013
2013
54% owned
2018
55% owned
2023
55% owned

14.1% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

20% damp (-6pp vs 2018) and 14% with visible mould larger than A4 (-6pp 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

Stats NZ projections · Ōtorohanga District · medium series
10,550 people · 202311,150 by 2033 (+5.7%)

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

Crime

Ōtorohanga District · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k3,785
Total incidents394· 2026-05
  • Assault6116%
  • Burglary16442%
  • Theft16141%
  • Sexual Assault62%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
Low
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
35.5 km
Unnamed

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Puniu'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

Inside Airbnb
4
active listings · ~2.5 per 1,000 residents
100%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
50%
run by multi-listing operators

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

Ministry of Education
Total2
Students170
State2
  • Korakonui SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Arohena SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
39/ 100 livability index

Top 61% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 39% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access0
Public transport (1 stops)18
Schools & hospitals70

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

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Bgrade · 73/100 · top 27% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 73% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth64
Rental yield72
Stability63

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.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Similar-rent suburbs in other territorial authorities that rate higher on a metric.

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · cross-TA

Less deprived

lower NZDep decile · cross-TA

Alternatives are similar-rent suburbs (0.6–1.6x this suburb's median rent) in other territorial authorities that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Building activity

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
3
3 houses · 0 units
↓40.0%YoY D5 vs NZ

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
816
Was 816 in 2018
→0.0%vs 2018 D3 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Puniu Waikato — Property Data and Demographics

Puniu is a small community in Waikato with a population of 1,587 and a median age of 37. Median personal income is $29K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Waikato population estimates moved +1.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.0% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 816 in 2018 to 816 in 2023 (+0.0%), 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 Puniu is $430 (430 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 78% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Puniu: NZDep decile 7 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 470; 1 transport stop (1 bus).

In 2026, Puniu recorded 3 building approvals (3 houses, 0 units), down 40% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability78%↓ Stretched
School QualityEQI 470· Average
DeprivationDecile 7· Moderate
Transport Access1 stops· Some Access
Development-40%↓ Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/04/2025)$430
House · wk$430
Rent / income78.2%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)3
Houses3
YoY change-40%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,587
Median age37
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$28,600
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived7/10
NZDep score1007

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,215
Māori465
Asian78
Pacific Peoples72
MELAA9
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing351
Public Administration and Safety81
Construction72
Professional, Scientific and Technical45
Manufacturing39
Area & amenity
TransportGTFS
Bus stops1
Nearby in Waikato5
Maihiihi1,875Honikiwi1,602Te Kawa1,182Ōtorohanga3,180Pirongia Forest984
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Puniu 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
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 · 1 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.

Puniu FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Puniu is $430/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 Puniu?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 78% 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 Puniu?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Puniu?

    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 Puniu 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.

Waikato

Puniu sits in Waikato — explore the region.