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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

The page gives you enough to keep this suburb in view, but not enough to make a fast conviction call. Use compare mode or the region hub to see whether the mixed picture still holds up against alternatives.

$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
$760K
+5.7% over 5yr
2.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$635K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,619
QV-based HPI
7.9%5yr
Income to buy
9.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,036
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,525/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
50%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
12.0 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,704
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,361
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,525
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,591

A territorial-authority estimate: the Kapiti Coast 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 Waikanae West-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -1.2%5yr -11.2%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Kapiti Coast 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 Kapiti Coast 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 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
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
375
$10,001-$20,000
462
$20,001-$30,000
1,059
$30,001-$50,000
831
$50,001-$70,000
528
$70,001-$100,000
420
$100,001 or more
468

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+3.1pp since 2013
2013
81% owned
2018
77% owned
2023
84% owned

6.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

7% damp (-1pp vs 2018) and 6% with visible mould larger than A4 (-1pp 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

57,500 people · 202360,500 by 2033 (+5.2%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k4,435
Total incidents2,480· 2026-05
  • Assault23726%
  • Burglary59966%
  • Robbery273%
  • Sexual Assault435%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
1.4 km
Ohariu Fault
Fault slip rate
Moderate
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Waikanae West'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

12
active listings · ~2.5 per 1,000 residents
75%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
42%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$255
median nightly (entire home)
27%
estimated occupancy
$26,491
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
Students495
State1
  • Kapakapanui SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

95/ 100 livability index

Top 5% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 95% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access94
Public transport (22 stops)93
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

Fgrade · 14/100 · top 86% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 14% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth16
Rental yield36
Stability36

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

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

Latest consents
16
16 houses · 0 units
11.1%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 +0.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +1.0% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 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 16 building approvals (16 houses, 0 units), down 11.1% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability101% Stretched
School QualityEQI 434· Average
DeprivationDecile 4· Moderate
Transport Access22 stops Well Connected
Development-11%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$650
House · wk$650
Rent / income101.2%
Lodgements30
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)16
Houses16
YoY change-11.1%
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.