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Suburb profile · Wellington · NZ

Masterton Central NZ

Masterton Central is in Wellington, New Zealand, with population 642.

The read

Livability-led

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.

$500/wk
1/04/2020 → 1/01/2026 · 15 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$553
$320
1/04/20201/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Open matching ranking
Median rent
$505/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
642
642 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$34K/yr
Median personal income
D2 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 9
Higher deprivation
D9 vs NZ
Schools
—
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Masterton District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$525K
+6.6% over 5yr
↓3.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$439K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,532
QV-based HPI
↓7.3%5yr
Income to buy
7.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
482
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

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

Rent trend depth

Derived from this suburb's own tenancy-bond rent history
Rent cycle positionRents rising
Low · 2020Peak · 2024

2.0% below peak rent · 25.0% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +0.0%/yr · 5-yr +0.0%/yr

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

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$34K personal · yr-29.4% vs Wellington 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.

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
96/ 100 livability index

Top 4% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access98
Public transport77
Schools & hospitals29

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.

Building activity

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
↓100.0%YoY

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
306
Was 342 in 2018
↓10.5%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Masterton Central Wellington — Property Data and Demographics

Masterton Central is a small community in Wellington with a population of 642 and a median age of 42. Median personal income is $34K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Wellington population estimates moved +0.8% 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 342 in 2018 to 306 in 2023 (-10.5%), 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 Masterton Central is $505 (505 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 76% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Masterton Central: NZDep decile 9 (high deprivation); 12 transport stops (11 bus, 1 rail); 1 hospital nearby.

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability76%↓ Stretched
DeprivationDecile 9↓ High
Transport Access12 stops· Some Access
Development-100%↓ Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$505
House · wk$505
Rent / income76.3%
Lodgements18
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population642
Median age42
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$34,400
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived9/10
NZDep score1072

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European543
Māori138
Asian42
Pacific Peoples30
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance48
Retail Trade36
Manufacturing33
Construction30
Accommodation and Food24
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets5
Pharmacies3
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations7
Cafes & dining38
countdown1
new world1
paknsave1
TransportGTFS
Rail stations1
Bus stops11
Masterton Stationrail
Hospitals · 1MoH
Wairarapa HospitalPublic Hospital
Nearby in Wellington12
McJorrow Park1,806Douglas Park2,061Kopuaranga1,011Cameron and Soldiers Park2,205Solway North2,610Kuripuni1,653Whareama1,431Lansdowne West1,779Solway South4,164Ngaumutawa1,671Homebush-Te Ore Ore1,221Opaki1,146
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Masterton Central 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 · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · 1 hospitals in coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 12 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.

Masterton Central FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Masterton Central is $505/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 Masterton Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 76% 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 Masterton Central?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Masterton 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 Masterton 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.