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Suburb profile · West Coast · NZ

Arahura-Kūmara NZ

Arahura-Kūmara is in West Coast, New Zealand, with population 1,497.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
Census rent fallback
Population
1,497
1K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$39K/yr
Median personal income
D4 vs NZ
NZDep
No deprivation index
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$477K
+63.1% over 5yr
7.4%YoY
Lower quartile
$400K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,551
QV-based HPI
47.0%5yr
Income to buy
6.9x
Years of median income
Annual sales
138
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$2,212/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
39%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
9.2 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$2,325
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,110
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$2,212
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$2,254

A territorial-authority estimate: the Westland 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 Arahura-Kūmara-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +7.4%5yr +55.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Westland 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 Westland 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 Arahura-Kūmara, not a Arahura-Kūmara-specific sale price.

Personal income

$39K personal · yr+20.2% vs West Coast suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
138
$10,001-$20,000
162
$20,001-$30,000
237
$30,001-$50,000
228
$50,001-$70,000
207
$70,001-$100,000
183
$100,001 or more
114

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+4.2pp since 2013
2013
80% owned
2018
79% owned
2023
84% owned

16.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

18% damp (-1pp vs 2018) and 11% with visible mould larger than A4 (-2pp 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

9,110 people · 20239,280 by 2033 (+1.9%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k2,460
Total incidents219· 2026-05
  • Assault3315%
  • Burglary5927%
  • Theft11854%
  • Sexual Assault94%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
18.2 km
Alpine Fault
Fault slip rate
Very High
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Arahura-Kūmara'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

40
active listings · ~26.7 per 1,000 residents
65%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
75%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$252
median nightly (entire home)
13%
estimated occupancy
$16,229
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
Students47
State1
  • Kumara SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

14/ 100 livability index

Top 86% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 14% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access38
Public transport0
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 · 5/100 · top 95% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 5% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth98
Rental yield0
Stability16

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.

Building activity

Latest consents
7
5 houses · 2 units
72.0%YoY D7 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
813
Was 750 in 2018
8.4%vs 2018 D3 vs NZ

Full data detail

Arahura-Kūmara West Coast — Property Data and Demographics

Arahura-Kūmara is a small community in West Coast with a population of 1,497 and a median age of 51. Median personal income is $39K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. West Coast population estimates moved +0.6% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +1.5% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 750 in 2018 to 813 in 2023 (+8.4%), 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.

Livability indicators for Arahura-Kūmara: 1 school with avg EQI 473.

In 2026, Arahura-Kūmara recorded 7 building approvals (5 houses, 2 units), down 72% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
School QualityEQI 473· Average
Development-72% Slowing
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)7
Houses 71%Units 29%
YoY change-72%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,497
Median age51
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$38,700
EthnicityCensus 23
European1,344
Māori243
Asian36
Pacific Peoples30
MELAA9
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction102
Health Care and Social Assistance84
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing69
Retail Trade69
Accommodation and Food69
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining2
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Thin evidence

Arahura-Kūmara is a thin local read, not a complete suburb verdict.

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
Stats NZ Census 2023 · No linked local rent source
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Missing
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 · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · 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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Arahura-Kūmara still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is missing a direct local rent signal.

That leaves the page relying more on Census and service context than on a stronger market read.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across hospital coverage, transport stops, and deprivation index.

The main gaps on this page are hospital coverage, transport stops, and deprivation index. That means you should avoid treating one sparse reading as the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

Use the region hub, compare, or nearby better-covered suburbs first, before treating this as a complete market read.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Let this page frame the locality, then check the story against compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as final.

Stronger nearby reads

If Arahura-Kūmara feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Hokitika Rural better covered
similar suburb scale similar income profile better local coverage

pop -200 · income same $ · adds NZDep context

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Westland Glaciers-Bruce Bay better covered
similar income profile better local coverage

pop -700 · adds rent coverage · income -$2K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Hokitika better covered
similar income profile better local coverage

pop +1800 · income -$3K · adds NZDep context

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Arahura-Kūmara FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Arahura-Kūmara?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Arahura-Kūmara show: Average, Slowing. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Arahura-Kūmara?

    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.

  3. How often is the Arahura-Kūmara 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.