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Suburb profile · Wellington · NZ

Waikanae West NZ

Waikanae West is in Wellington, New Zealand, with population 4,755.

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.

$650/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$685
$500
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal. Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

Median rent
$650/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D7 vs NZ
Population
4,755
5K local footprint
D10 vs NZ
Income
$33K/yr
Median personal income
D2 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 4
Mid-range deprivation
D4 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$765K
+9.0% over 5yr
1.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$639K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,568
QV-based HPI
9.2%5yr
Income to buy
9.1x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,058
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Kapiti Coast 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 Waikanae West, not a Waikanae West-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents rising
Low · 2020Peak · 2024

3.7% below peak rent · 35.4% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +7.4%/yr · 5-yr +0.9%/yr

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

Personal income

$33K personal · yr-31.4% 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.

Schools

Total1
Students492
State1
  • Kapakapanui SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

96/ 100 livability index

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

Everyday access93
Public transport95
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

Latest consents
8
8 houses · 0 units
55.6%YoY D9 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,902
Was 1,605 in 2018
18.5%vs 2018 D10 vs NZ

Full data detail

Waikanae West Wellington — Property Data and Demographics

Waikanae West is a small suburb in Wellington with a population of 4,755 and a median age of 59. Median personal income is $33K 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 1,605 in 2018 to 1,902 in 2023 (+18.5%), 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 Waikanae West is $650 (650 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 101% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Waikanae West: NZDep decile 4 (moderate deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 434; 22 transport stops (22 bus).

In 2026, Waikanae West recorded 8 building approvals (8 houses, 0 units), down 55.6% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability101% Stretched
School QualityEQI 434· Average
DeprivationDecile 4· Moderate
Transport Access22 stops Well Connected
Development-56% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$650
House · wk$650
Rent / income101.2%
Lodgements30
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)8
Houses8
YoY change-55.6%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population4,755
Median age59
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$33,400
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived4/10
NZDep score953

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European4,212
Māori453
Asian336
Pacific Peoples108
MELAA36
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance291
Construction240
Public Administration and Safety237
Professional, Scientific and Technical201
Retail Trade180
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets2
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics3
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining15
countdown1
new world1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops22
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Waikanae West carries 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 · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 22 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.

Waikanae West FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Waikanae West is $650/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 Waikanae West?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 101% 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 Waikanae West?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Waikanae West 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 Waikanae West?

    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 Waikanae West 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.