Living in Hillcrest, Auckland: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,975 live property titles in Hillcrest, Auckland are mostly freehold (62%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 1,146 (28.8%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
Hillcrest, Auckland cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 1,146
- Share of live titles
- 28.8%
- Live titles in total
- 3,975
- 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
Hillcrest at a glance
Where Hillcrest 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
- Hillcrest is listed under Auckland.
- 3,975 live titles are recorded here, including 1,146 cross-lease titles (28.8%).
- 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 28.8% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 6.4% 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 Hillcrest
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,482 | 62.4% |
| Cross lease | 1,146 | 28.8% |
| Unit title | 254 | 6.4% |
| Leasehold | 5 | 0.1% |
| Other record types | 88 | 2.2% |
| Total | 3,975 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Hillcrest compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Hillcrest is about 3.3 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Auckland as a whole, the share is 14.4%; Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest are set up
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (6%, against 11% nationally), up to 10.
Three-flat schemes are less common here (9%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Hillcrest | Auckland | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 517 | 39,589 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 85.5% | 73.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 8.7% | 14.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 5.8% | 12.0% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 837 m² | 961 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 402 m² | 418 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 27.9% | 23.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 15.5% | 19.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 3.7% | 5.5% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 34.6% | 42.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1986 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 340 | 26,275 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Hillcrest
Unit titles are 6% of Hillcrest's titles, well below Auckland (15%) and below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 86 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
New titles in Hillcrest since 2020
367 of Hillcrest's current titles (9%) were first issued since 2020, well below Auckland's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (16%) and below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 355 | 199 |
| Unit title | 4 | 2 |
| Cross-lease | 7 | 6 |
| 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 Hillcrest
The typical building in Hillcrest stands on ground sloping 6.1° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), in the steepest quarter of 160 in Auckland.
Unusually much of the sloping land faces north: 42%, 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 Hillcrest
0% of Hillcrest's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 0% within 500 m and 4% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.7 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 Hillcrest: 2023 Census
Hillcrest's titles fall in 4 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 95% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Hillcrest East (Auckland) than across Auckland: 2.0% against 4.2%.
Fewer households have no car in Hillcrest East (Auckland) than across Auckland: 3.8% against 6.8%.
More workers commute by bus, train or ferry in Hillcrest East (Auckland) than across Auckland: 10.5% against 7.8%.
| Measure | Hillcrest East (Auckland) 34% of titles | Hillcrest North (Auckland) 32% of titles | Hillcrest West (Auckland) 29% of titles | Auckland whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,900 | 3,465 | 3,276 | 1,656,486 |
| Change since 2018 | −0.5% | +2.3% | +1.1% | +5.4% |
| Change since 2013 | +6.3% | +8.2% | +11.2% | +17.0% |
| Median age | 36.3 | 36.8 | 35.7 | 35.9 |
| Households | 1,305 | 1,152 | 1,071 | 539,490 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 63.7% | 53.1% | 67.5% | 59.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 36.6% | 46.9% | 32.5% | 40.5% |
| Median household income | $127,300 | $114,800 | $138,500 | $116,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $580 | $550 | $610 | $540 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.4% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 17.7% | 16.1% | 17.6% | 19.2% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.6% | 22.1% | 21.9% | 20.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 48.9% | 48.2% | 48.6% | 46.5% |
| 65 and over | 12.8% | 13.5% | 11.9% | 13.3% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 47.3% | 54.4% | 45.2% | 42.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 20.1% | 22.2% | 20.0% | 19.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 40.8% | 44.8% | 42.6% | 45.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 5.6% | 6.8% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 21.4% | 24.7% | 20.9% | 21.1% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 43.5% | 40.6% | 42.0% | 32.9% |
| Employed full-time | 57.3% | 54.8% | 59.9% | 53.2% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.2% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 51.5% | 47.6% | 52.4% | 47.5% |
| Median personal income | $51,700 | $44,300 | $53,200 | $44,700 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 18.6% | 18.0% | 18.9% | 18.2% |
| Car, truck or van | 67.8% | 65.1% | 66.1% | 68.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 10.5% | 11.6% | 12.1% | 7.8% |
| Walk or cycle | 2.0% | 3.6% | 1.5% | 4.2% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 16.6% | 16.1% | 12.6% | 18.5% |
| Average people per household | 2.9 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 3.8% | 5.9% | 2.3% | 6.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 6.3% | 8.0% | 5.1% | 8.8% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 51.0% | 44.7% | 47.0% | 47.2% |
| Couples without children | 35.7% | 38.6% | 39.1% | 35.5% |
| One-parent families | 13.3% | 16.4% | 13.5% | 17.3% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 77.3% | 65.6% | 78.0% | 71.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 69.8% | 64.1% | 70.9% | 66.3% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 25.6% | 25.7% | 26.1% | 20.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 22.2% | 23.8% | 21.9% | 17.4% |
Rents around Hillcrest
New tenancies in Hillcrest East (Auckland) in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $700 a week (up 2.9% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Auckland ($675), and slightly above the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Hillcrest East (Auckland) 34% of titles | Hillcrest North (Auckland) 32% of titles | Hillcrest West (Auckland) 29% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $700 | $745 | $650 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $550–$780 | $620–$900 | $585–$750 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +2.9% | −0.7% | −12.2% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 30 | 24 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Hillcrest
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Hillcrest, among them Sunnybrae Normal School (Contributing) and Willow Park School (Contributing).
- Sunnybrae Normal School (Contributing)
- Willow Park School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Willow Park School (0.5 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Westlake Girls' High School (1.7 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: North Shore Hospital (2.2 km)
School enrolment zones in Hillcrest: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Hillcrest's titles: Northcote College.
- Willow Park School (primary, Years 1–6): about 70% of titles
- Sunnybrae Normal School (primary, Years 1–6): about 50% of titles
- Marlborough School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- Northcote Intermediate School (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Takapuna Normal Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 50% of titles
- Glenfield Intermediate School (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 25% of titles
- Northcote College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Westlake Girls' High School (secondary): about 25% of titles
- Westlake Boys' High School (secondary): about 15% 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 Hillcrest
100% of Hillcrest's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, above Auckland as a whole (82%).
44% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), slightly below the council (54%).
The typical title is 143 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.
Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Auckland Transport. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Hillcrest
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Hillcrest (2 Christian, 1 Sikh).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Evergreen Baptist Church, under 1 km away
- Hindu: Shree Sanatan Dharam Hanuman Mandir, 3.5 km away
- Buddhist: Wat Phra Dhammakaya Auckland, 4.1 km away
- Muslim: Birkenhead Islamic Centre, 2.1 km away
- Sikh: Gurdwara Sahib North Shore, 1.0 km away
- Jewish: Auckland Hebrew Congregation, 7.3 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 Hillcrest
The closest match on the measures on this site is Forrest Hill in Auckland, nearest on distance to the coast, heat pumps, distance to a hospital. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest Hill | Auckland | 33.7% | $763 | 37 | distance to the coast, heat pumps, distance to a hospital |
| Hillsborough, Auckland | Auckland | 26.2% | $795 | 37.9 | population change, recent movers within NZ, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Birkdale | Auckland | 24.7% | $650 | 35.2 | population change, elevation, distance to the coast |
| Belmont, Auckland | Auckland | 37.2% | No data | 38 | population change, home ownership, distance to the coast |
| Torbay | Auckland | 25.9% | $750 | 39.9 | heat pumps, schools, population change |
Questions
What is the rent in Hillcrest, Auckland?
New tenancies in Hillcrest East (Auckland) (the rent area for part of Hillcrest) had a median rent of $700 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 $550 to $780.
What schools are in Hillcrest, Auckland?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Hillcrest: Sunnybrae Normal School and Willow Park School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Westlake Girls' High School (1.7 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.