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Suburb profile · Waikato · NZ

Thames Central NZ

Thames Central is in Waikato, New Zealand, with population 1,068.

The read

Verify-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.

$470/wk
1/01/2020 → 1/01/2026 · 18 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$600
$340
1/01/20201/01/2026
What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$510/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
1,068
1K local footprint
D2 vs NZ
Income
$27K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 10
Higher deprivation
D10 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$879K
+19.3% over 5yr
0.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$681K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,960
QV-based HPI
11.0%5yr
Income to buy
15.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
685
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Thames Coromandel 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 Thames Central, not a Thames Central-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents easing
Low · 2020Peak · 2025

20.3% below peak rent · 23.7% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +0.4%/yr · 5-yr +2.3%/yr

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

Personal income

$27K personal · yr-36.5% vs Waikato 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

Total1
Students60
State1
  • Thames South SchoolFull Primary · State

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
387
Was 375 in 2018
3.2%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Thames Central Waikato — Property Data and Demographics

Thames Central is a small community in Waikato with a population of 1,068 and a median age of 58. Median personal income is $27K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Waikato population estimates moved +2.2% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +2.0% 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 375 in 2018 to 387 in 2023 (+3.2%), 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 Thames Central is $510 (510 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 98% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Thames Central: NZDep decile 10 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 541.

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability98% Stretched
School QualityEQI 541 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 10 High
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$510
House · wk$510
Rent / income97.9%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,068
Median age58
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$27,100
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived10/10
NZDep score1138

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European861
Māori219
Asian102
Pacific Peoples30
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance78
Retail Trade63
Accommodation and Food45
Public Administration and Safety30
Manufacturing24
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets3
Pharmacies4
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining29
paknsave1
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Thames Central 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 · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
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 · 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.

Thames Central FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Thames Central is $510/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 Thames Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 98% 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 Thames Central?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Thames 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.

  5. How often is the Thames 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.