Living in Carterton: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,142 live property titles in Carterton, Carterton District are almost all freehold (93%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 79 (2.5%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 79
- Share of live titles
- 2.5%
- Live titles in total
- 3,142
- Carterton District share
- 1.1%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Carterton District
- 1 of 1
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 596 of 644
Carterton at a glance
Where Carterton differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: cross-lease share of titles (lower than 92% of NZ suburbs); typical distance to the coast (higher than 92% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Carterton is listed under Carterton District.
- 3,142 live titles are recorded here, including 79 cross-lease titles (2.5%).
- 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 2.5% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 4.4% 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 Carterton
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,914 | 92.7% |
| Cross lease | 79 | 2.5% |
| Unit title | 138 | 4.4% |
| Leasehold | 6 | 0.2% |
| Other record types | 5 | 0.2% |
| Total | 3,142 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Carterton compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Carterton is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Carterton District as a whole, the share is 1.1%; Carterton is about 2.3 times the overall Carterton District share (1.1%).
How cross-leases in Carterton are set up
Carports appear in fewer leases (3% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (3% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Fewer leases include a garage (20% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Carterton | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 35 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 77.1% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 14.3% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 947 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 424 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 20.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 2.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.9% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 25.7% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 27 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Carterton
Unit titles are 4% of Carterton's titles, well above Carterton District (2%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 4 developments, each run by a body corporate; 2 have 50 or more units.
New titles in Carterton since 2020
368 of Carterton's current titles (12%) were first issued since 2020, below Carterton District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (15%) and close to New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 343 | 167 |
| Unit title | 21 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 2 | 1 |
| Other | 2 | 0 |
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 Carterton
The typical building in Carterton stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 5,084 measured buildings (100%) stand on ground under 5°.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Carterton
Carterton is inland: the typical title is 41 km from the sea or harbour edge, and fewer than 1 in 2,000 titles are within 1 km of it.
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 Carterton: 2023 Census
Carterton's titles fall in 4 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 96% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Carterton South than across Carterton District: 17.6% against 24.8%.
| Measure | Carterton South 49% of titles | Carterton North 47% of titles | Carterton District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,168 | 2,688 | 10,107 |
| Change since 2018 | +12.6% | +6.4% | +9.9% |
| Change since 2013 | +26.8% | +19.9% | +22.7% |
| Median age | 48.2 | 52.4 | 48.4 |
| Households | 1,299 | 1,185 | 4,077 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 78.5% | 79.2% | 80.1% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 21.5% | 20.5% | 19.9% |
| Median household income | $69,900 | $61,800 | $79,700 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $400 | $400 | $370 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.8% | 8.7% | 10.6% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 17.1% | 15.3% | 17.7% |
| 15 to 29 | 12.8% | 12.7% | 12.8% |
| 30 to 64 | 43.5% | 39.7% | 45.0% |
| 65 and over | 26.7% | 32.4% | 24.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 17.6% | 17.7% | 17.3% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 8.7% | 8.2% | 7.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 46.6% | 47.7% | 44.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.3% | 14.2% | 13.0% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 19.2% | 21.1% | 22.3% |
| Employed full-time | 43.9% | 41.6% | 47.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 41.2% | 42.8% | 46.3% |
| Median personal income | $34,400 | $32,800 | $37,800 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 17.6% | 19.2% | 24.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 71.6% | 67.3% | 65.5% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 5.1% | 7.0% | 5.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 4.7% | 6.0% | 3.7% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 30.0% | 34.4% | 26.9% |
| Average people per household | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 5.8% | 7.3% | 4.2% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 35.7% | 31.7% | 36.9% |
| Couples without children | 49.3% | 54.3% | 51.6% |
| One-parent families | 15.0% | 14.0% | 11.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 88.1% | 85.1% | 89.7% |
| Average bedrooms | 3 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 64.6% | 70.9% | 59.4% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 13.2% | 12.2% | 13.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 8.3% | 8.4% | 9.2% |
Rents around Carterton
New tenancies in Carterton South in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $520 a week (down 1.5% on a year earlier). That is slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Carterton South 49% of titles | Carterton North 47% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $520 | $500 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $466–$530 | $423–$530 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −1.5% | −5.7% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 18 | 21 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Carterton
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Carterton, among them Carterton School (Full Primary) and Ponatahi Christian School (Composite).
- Carterton School (Full Primary)
- Ponatahi Christian School (Composite)
- South End School (Full Primary)
- St Mary's School (Carterton) (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: South End School (0.6 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Ponatahi Christian School (0.8 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Wairarapa Hospital (16.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Carterton: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Carterton's titles: Kuranui College.
- Carterton School (primary, Years 1–8): about 60% of titles
- South End School (primary, Years 1–8): about 45% of titles
- Kuranui College (secondary): all or nearly all 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 Carterton
71% of Carterton's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, well above Carterton District as a whole (36%).
Fewer than 1% are within 400 m of a stop with 60 or more departures that day.
40% are within 800 m of a train station or ferry wharf.
The typical title is 277 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.
Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Metlink (Greater Wellington Regional Council). Sources and limits
Places of worship near Carterton
OpenStreetMap maps 9 places of worship inside Carterton (8 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Carterton Gospel Hall, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Carterton
The closest match on the measures on this site is Lansdowne, Masterton District in Masterton District, nearest on near a frequent stop, recent movers within NZ, commuting on foot or by bike. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansdowne, Masterton District | Masterton District | 6.4% | $550 | 45.2 | near a frequent stop, recent movers within NZ, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Te Aroha | Matamata-Piako District | 3.1% | $560 | 49.2 | children, commuting on foot or by bike, schools |
| Masterton | Masterton District | 4.3% | $500 | 43.3 | slope, near a frequent stop, land per flat |
| Putāruru | South Waikato District | 2.5% | $530 | 43.1 | cross-lease share, schools, rent |
| Feilding | Manawatu District | 4.3% | $520 | 40.8 | rent, heat pumps, recent movers within NZ |
Questions
What is the rent in Carterton?
New tenancies in Carterton South (the rent area for part of Carterton) had a median rent of $520 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 $466 to $530.
What schools are in Carterton?
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Carterton, including Carterton School, Ponatahi Christian School and South End School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Ponatahi Christian School (0.8 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Kuranui College; check the school's own zone map for any address.