Living in Botany Downs: schools, census and property titles
The 2,230 live property titles in Botany Downs, Auckland are mostly freehold (68%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 643 (28.8%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
Botany Downs cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 643
- Share of live titles
- 28.8%
- Live titles in total
- 2,230
- Auckland share
- 14.4%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Auckland
- joint 27 of 160
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 31 of 644
Botany Downs at a glance
Where Botany Downs differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: cross-lease share of titles (higher than 94% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Botany Downs is listed under Auckland.
- 2,230 live titles are recorded here, including 643 cross-lease titles (28.8%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 28.8% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 2.6% 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
- A usable MBIE new-tenancy rent figure is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Botany Downs
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,519 | 68.1% |
| Cross lease | 643 | 28.8% |
| Unit title | 59 | 2.6% |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other record types | 9 | 0.4% |
| Total | 2,230 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Botany Downs compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Botany Downs is about 3.3 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Auckland as a whole, the share is 14.4%; Botany Downs is about 2.0 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 Botany Downs are set up
Fewer leases include a garage (6% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Carports appear in fewer leases (7% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (6%, against 11% nationally), up to 22.
| Scheme structure | Botany Downs | Auckland | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 288 | 39,589 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 86.1% | 73.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 8.0% | 14.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 5.9% | 12.0% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 914 m² | 961 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 444 m² | 418 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 5.6% | 23.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.3% | 19.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.8% | 5.5% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 44.1% | 42.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1989 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 244 | 26,275 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Botany Downs
Unit titles are 3% of Botany Downs's titles, well below Auckland (15%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 8 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
New titles in Botany Downs since 2020
395 of Botany Downs's current titles (18%) were first issued since 2020, slightly above Auckland's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (16%) and well above New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 388 | 266 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 6 | 2 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 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 Botany Downs
The typical building in Botany Downs stands on ground sloping 4.3° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Little of the sloping land faces north: 11%, where about a quarter would if slopes faced every way equally.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Botany Downs
0% of Botany Downs's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 3% within 500 m and 29% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.3 km 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 Botany Downs: 2023 Census
Botany Downs's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 94% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Botany Downs West than across Auckland: 1.1% against 4.2%.
Fewer households have no car in Botany Downs West than across Auckland: 2.0% against 6.8%.
Fewer workers commute by bus, train or ferry in Botany Downs West than across Auckland: 3.8% against 7.8%.
| Measure | Botany Downs West 53% of titles | Botany Downs East 41% of titles | Auckland whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,492 | 2,283 | 1,656,486 |
| Change since 2018 | +2.4% | −0.4% | +5.4% |
| Change since 2013 | +8.8% | +4.8% | +17.0% |
| Median age | 39.8 | 39.7 | 35.9 |
| Households | 1,101 | 792 | 539,490 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 70.3% | 67.0% | 59.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 29.7% | 33.0% | 40.5% |
| Median household income | $123,800 | $114,000 | $116,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $620 | $650 | $540 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.8% | 6.4% | 8.8% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 18.7% | 18.5% | 19.2% |
| 15 to 29 | 16.8% | 16.4% | 20.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 48.9% | 47.4% | 46.5% |
| 65 and over | 15.5% | 17.5% | 13.3% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 52.9% | 52.4% | 42.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 17.9% | 23.2% | 19.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 38.8% | 40.5% | 45.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 7.0% | 6.8% | 5.6% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 18.8% | 22.4% | 21.1% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 31.3% | 30.7% | 32.9% |
| Employed full-time | 53.1% | 53.4% | 53.2% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.4% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 47.3% | 42.5% | 47.5% |
| Median personal income | $45,300 | $46,800 | $44,700 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 15.4% | 15.5% | 18.2% |
| Car, truck or van | 78.2% | 77.4% | 68.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 3.8% | 3.7% | 7.8% |
| Walk or cycle | 1.1% | 2.7% | 4.2% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 12.1% | 17.4% | 18.5% |
| Average people per household | 3 | 2.9 | 3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.0% | 2.8% | 6.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.8% | 5.4% | 8.8% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 47.7% | 50.2% | 47.2% |
| Couples without children | 34.5% | 37.8% | 35.5% |
| One-parent families | 17.8% | 12.4% | 17.3% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 87.8% | 77.7% | 71.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 68.5% | 70.9% | 66.3% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.0% | 14.2% | 20.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 16.0% | 13.0% | 17.4% |
Schools and hospitals near Botany Downs
One school site lies inside Botany Downs: Botany Downs School (Contributing).
- Botany Downs School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Botany Downs School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Elim Christian College (1.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Middlemore Hospital (9.1 km)
School enrolment zones in Botany Downs: a guide
Two secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Botany Downs's titles: Sancta Maria College and Pakuranga College.
- Botany Downs School (primary, Years 1–6): about 75% of titles
- Owairoa School (primary, Years 1–6): about 55% of titles
- Star of the Sea School (Howick) (primary, Years 1–6): about 45% of titles
- Howick Primary School (primary, Years 1–6): about 20% of titles
- Howick Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Sancta Maria College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Pakuranga College (secondary): about 60% of titles
- Howick College (secondary): about 40% 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 Botany Downs
99% of Botany Downs's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, above Auckland as a whole (82%).
13% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), well below the council (54%); in the lowest quarter of 160 in Auckland.
The typical title is 162 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.
Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Auckland Transport. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Botany Downs
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Botany Downs's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Auckland Christian Mandarin Salvation Church, under 1 km away
- Hindu: Shree Swaminarayan Temple, 9.3 km away
- Buddhist: Oneness Buddhist Temple, 1.8 km away
- Muslim: Islamic Ahlulbayt Foundation of New Zealand, 1.9 km away
- Sikh: Gurdwara Sahib, 6.9 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 Botany Downs
The closest match on the measures on this site is Half Moon Bay, Auckland in Auckland, nearest on schools, distance to the coast, heat pumps. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay, Auckland | Auckland | 23.9% | $655 | 44.6 | schools, distance to the coast, heat pumps |
| Forrest Hill | Auckland | 33.7% | $763 | 37 | distance to the coast, population change, elevation |
| Howick | Auckland | 24.1% | $630 | 38.8 | distance to the coast, degrees, older residents |
| Torbay | Auckland | 25.9% | $750 | 39.9 | distance to a hospital, commuting on foot or by bike, median age |
| Highland Park | Auckland | 36.4% | $700 | 40.1 | distance to the coast, population change, median age |
Questions
What schools are in Botany Downs?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Botany Downs: Botany Downs School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Elim Christian College (1.6 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles are Sancta Maria College and Pakuranga College; check the school's own zone map for any address.