Living in Birkenhead: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 4,151 live property titles in Birkenhead, Auckland are mostly freehold (54%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 1,087 (26.2%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 1,087
- Share of live titles
- 26.2%
- Live titles in total
- 4,151
- Auckland share
- 14.4%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Auckland
- joint 37 of 160
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 51 of 644
Birkenhead at a glance
Where Birkenhead differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median slope under buildings (higher than 94% of NZ suburbs); cross-lease share of titles (higher than 91% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Birkenhead is listed under Auckland.
- 4,151 live titles are recorded here, including 1,087 cross-lease titles (26.2%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
- The page includes MBIE new-tenancy rent figures for April–June 2026.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 26.2% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 17.9% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- Public-transport figures describe how recorded titles sit near mapped stops. They do not describe a service from a particular property.
- Coast distance is a suburb-level map measure, not a flood or hazard assessment.
Questions worth investigating
- For any cross-lease property you consider, do the current title, flats plan and lease match what is built today?
- What do the LIM, council property file and a suitable inspection add for the specific address?
No data held for this suburb
- The core title, Census, rent, transport and coast measures used by this page are available.
Title mix in Birkenhead
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,244 | 54.1% |
| Cross lease | 1,087 | 26.2% |
| Unit title | 745 | 17.9% |
| Leasehold | 2 | 0.0% |
| Other record types | 73 | 1.8% |
| Total | 4,151 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Birkenhead compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Birkenhead is about 3.0 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Auckland as a whole, the share is 14.4%; Birkenhead is about 1.8 times the overall Auckland share (14.4%).
Its cross-lease share is in the highest quarter of 160 in Auckland (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Birkenhead are set up
Carports appear in more leases (22% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer leases include a garage (17% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are more common here (19%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Birkenhead | Auckland | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 427 | 39,589 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 67.9% | 73.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 19.2% | 14.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 12.9% | 12.0% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,042 m² | 961 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 478 m² | 418 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 16.9% | 23.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 21.5% | 19.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 6.6% | 5.5% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 54.6% | 42.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1988 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 275 | 26,275 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Birkenhead
Unit titles are 18% of Birkenhead's titles, above Auckland (15%) and well above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 71 developments, each run by a body corporate; 3 have 50 or more units.
The unit-title share is in the highest quarter of 160 in Auckland.
New titles in Birkenhead since 2020
260 of Birkenhead's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, well below Auckland's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (16%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the lowest quarter of 157 in Auckland.
20% are unit titles, in 4 developments; most of the rest are freehold.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 182 | 119 |
| Unit title | 52 | 15 |
| Cross-lease | 22 | 13 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 4 | 1 |
New titles include cross-leases converted to freehold and titles re-issued; they are not a count of new homes. Sources and limits
The lie of the land in Birkenhead
The typical building in Birkenhead stands on ground sloping 8.6° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), in the steepest quarter of 160 in Auckland.
About 14% of its 3,708 measured buildings stand on ground of 15° or more.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Birkenhead
8% of Birkenhead's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 23% within 500 m and 56% within 1 km. The typical title is 920 m away.
Measured in a straight line from the centre of each title's land to the coastline on LINZ's 1:50k topographic map, which follows harbours and estuaries as well as the open coast; lakes and rivers are not included. Distance says nothing about beach access, views or exposure to coastal hazards; council hazard maps and the LIM describe those.
Who lives around Birkenhead: 2023 Census
Birkenhead's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 99% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More workers commute by bus, train or ferry in Birkenhead South than across Auckland: 15.9% against 7.8%.
Fewer households have no car in Birkenhead South than across Auckland: 3.8% against 6.8%.
More adults hold a degree in Birkenhead South than across Auckland: 49.9% against 32.9%.
| Measure | Birkenhead South 38% of titles | Birkenhead North 25% of titles | Birkenhead West 23% of titles | Birkenhead North West 14% of titles | Auckland whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,057 | 2,817 | 2,946 | 1,524 | 1,656,486 |
| Change since 2018 | +1.3% | −1.7% | +6.3% | −4.2% | +5.4% |
| Change since 2013 | +6.6% | +2.5% | +30.4% | +2.4% | +17.0% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 36.5 | 41.8 | 36.4 | 35.9 |
| Households | 1,158 | 1,023 | 1,104 | 528 | 539,490 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 73.5% | 61.3% | 72.3% | 77.8% | 59.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 26.8% | 39.3% | 27.4% | 22.7% | 40.5% |
| Median household income | $141,200 | $125,200 | $116,100 | $142,400 | $116,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $550 | $550 | $570 | $594 | $540 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 8.8% | 8.2% | 5.6% | 4.9% | 8.8% |
| Ages | |||||
| Under 15 | 16.9% | 16.2% | 14.3% | 19.9% | 19.2% |
| 15 to 29 | 16.4% | 20.9% | 16.6% | 18.1% | 20.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 49.4% | 49.2% | 43.8% | 51.2% | 46.5% |
| 65 and over | 17.3% | 13.8% | 25.4% | 11.0% | 13.3% |
| Where people came from | |||||
| Born overseas | 32.6% | 44.8% | 41.0% | 38.8% | 42.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 20.4% | 24.3% | 17.8% | 14.4% | 19.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 34.9% | 42.8% | 46.6% | 36.0% | 45.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 5.3% | 8.0% | 5.0% | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 17.1% | 24.1% | 20.8% | 17.8% | 21.1% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 49.9% | 43.5% | 42.8% | 42.9% | 32.9% |
| Employed full-time | 55.1% | 57.8% | 50.5% | 59.2% | 53.2% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.9% | 2.4% | 1.3% | 2.7% | 3.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 62.2% | 56.5% | 57.8% | 57.9% | 47.5% |
| Median personal income | $59,400 | $51,100 | $46,400 | $58,800 | $44,700 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||||
| Work from home | 23.6% | 19.7% | 23.4% | 25.2% | 18.2% |
| Car, truck or van | 55.0% | 55.6% | 58.0% | 59.6% | 68.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 15.9% | 19.9% | 15.8% | 11.9% | 7.8% |
| Walk or cycle | 4.3% | 3.2% | 1.9% | 1.3% | 4.2% |
| Households and families | |||||
| One-person households | 20.5% | 19.4% | 26.3% | 13.9% | 18.5% |
| Average people per household | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 3.8% | 5.9% | 6.0% | 1.8% | 6.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.7% | 4.8% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 8.8% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 49.7% | 44.2% | 41.6% | 50.0% | 47.2% |
| Couples without children | 42.4% | 41.8% | 48.6% | 40.0% | 35.5% |
| One-parent families | 7.9% | 14.5% | 9.8% | 10.0% | 17.3% |
| Homes | |||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 65.3% | 68.8% | 59.0% | 80.1% | 71.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.1 | 3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 58.3% | 69.7% | 76.8% | 73.5% | 66.3% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.5% | 26.0% | 19.7% | 24.1% | 20.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 13.6% | 18.5% | 16.1% | 19.8% | 17.4% |
Rents around Birkenhead
New tenancies in Birkenhead South in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $640 a week (down 1.5% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Auckland ($675), and close to the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Birkenhead South 38% of titles | Birkenhead North 25% of titles | Birkenhead West 36% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $640 | $780 | $720 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $538–$693 | $613–$850 | $610–$790 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −1.5% | +9.9% | +1.7% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 24 | 39 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Birkenhead
One school site lies inside Birkenhead: Birkenhead School (Contributing).
- Birkenhead School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Birkenhead School (0.6 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Northcote College (1.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: North Shore Hospital (4.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Birkenhead: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Birkenhead's titles: Northcote College.
- Birkenhead School (primary, Years 1–6): about 65% of titles
- Verran Primary School (primary, Years 1–6): about 20% of titles
- Northcote School (Auckland) (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- Chelsea School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- Willow Park School (primary, Years 1–6): about 5% of titles
- Northcote Intermediate School (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 70% of titles
- Birkdale Intermediate School (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 30% of titles
- Northcote College (secondary): about 75% of titles
A guide only: check the school's own zone map for any address. Zones as at 14 July 2026. Sources and limits
Public transport in Birkenhead
88% of Birkenhead's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, slightly above Auckland as a whole (82%).
67% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), above the council (54%).
13% are within 800 m of a train station or ferry wharf.
The typical title is 185 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.
Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Auckland Transport. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Birkenhead
OpenStreetMap maps 7 places of worship inside Birkenhead (6 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Zion Hill Methodist Church Birkenhead Parish, under 1 km away
- Hindu: Shree Sanatan Dharam Hanuman Mandir, 2.9 km away
- Buddhist: Wat Phra Dhammakaya Auckland, 6.5 km away
- Muslim: Dawate Islam NZ Trust - Birkdale House, 1.7 km away
- Sikh: Gurdwara Sahib North Shore, 3.2 km away
- Jewish: Auckland Hebrew Congregation, 6.5 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Auckland with many cross-leases
- Papatoetoe: 3,998 cross-lease titles (25.8%)
- Remuera: 3,046 cross-lease titles (26.7%)
- Mount Roskill: 2,891 cross-lease titles (28.3%)
- Mount Wellington: 2,700 cross-lease titles (24.1%)
- Glenfield: 2,347 cross-lease titles (36.6%)
- Epsom: 2,335 cross-lease titles (29.8%)
- New Lynn: 2,016 cross-lease titles (24.4%)
- Mount Eden: 2,005 cross-lease titles (20.7%)
Suburbs like Birkenhead
The closest match on the measures on this site is Meadowbank, Auckland in Auckland, nearest on born overseas, schools, distance to the coast. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits
| Suburb | Council | Cross-lease share of titles | Median weekly rent, new tenancies | Median age | Closest on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowbank, Auckland | Auckland | 32.1% | $785 | 41 | born overseas, schools, distance to the coast |
| Mission Bay | Auckland | 36.8% | $790 | 46.8 | degrees, distance to the coast, distance to a hospital |
| Northcote Point | Auckland | 34.9% | $850 | 39.9 | distance to a hospital, home ownership, distance to the coast |
| Hillcrest, Auckland | Auckland | 28.8% | $700 | 36.3 | distance to the coast, population change, elevation |
| Rothesay Bay | Auckland | 35.9% | $810 | 41.2 | schools, distance to the coast, population change |
Questions
What is the rent in Birkenhead?
New tenancies in Birkenhead South (the rent area for part of Birkenhead) had a median rent of $640 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter (MBIE bond data, all dwelling types). These are rents agreed for new tenancies, not asking rents. The middle half of those rents ran from $538 to $693.
What schools are in Birkenhead?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Birkenhead: Birkenhead School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Northcote College (1.6 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Northcote College; check the school's own zone map for any address.