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Living in Hoon Hay: rents, schools, census and property titles

The 3,156 live property titles in Hoon Hay, Christchurch City are mostly freehold (79%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 563 (17.8%), well above the national share of 8.7%.

Hoon Hay cross-lease titles

Cross-lease titles
563
Share of live titles
17.8%
Live titles in total
3,156
Christchurch City share
15.6%
New Zealand share
8.7%
Rank by share in Christchurch City
33 of 69
Rank by share in New Zealand
joint 157 of 644

https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/50804-nz-property-titles/

Hoon Hay at a glance

Where Hoon Hay differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (higher than 91% of NZ suburbs).

Cross-lease share of titles
17.8%
Typical in Christchurch City: 17.3%
Higher than 75% of NZ suburbs
Median weekly rent, new tenancies
$553
Typical in Christchurch City: $560
Lower than 68% of NZ suburbs
Titles first issued since 2020
5.9%
Typical in Christchurch City: 7.7%
Lower than 63% of NZ suburbs
Median slope under buildings
0.7°
Typical in Christchurch City: 0.7°
Lower than 76% of NZ suburbs
Typical distance to the coast
7.7 km
Typical in Christchurch City: 5.9 km
Higher than 70% of NZ suburbs
Titles within 400 m of a public transport stop
88.1%
Typical in Christchurch City: 91.4%
Median age
34.7 years
Typical in Christchurch City: 38 years
Lower than 77% of NZ suburbs
Homes with a heat pump
85.9%
Typical in Christchurch City: 86.6%
Higher than 91% of NZ suburbs

Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits

What the data tells you

Recorded facts

  • Hoon Hay is listed under Christchurch City.
  • 3,156 live titles are recorded here, including 563 cross-lease titles (17.8%).
  • 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 17.8% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
  • Unit titles account for 2.2% 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 Hoon Hay

Title typeLive titlesShare
Freehold2,49679.1%
Cross lease56317.8%
Unit title682.2%
Leasehold20.1%
Other record types270.9%
Total3,156100%

Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits

How Hoon Hay compares

Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Hoon Hay is about 2.0 times the national share (8.7%).

Across Christchurch City as a whole, the share is 15.6%; Hoon Hay is slightly higher than the overall Christchurch City share (15.6%).

How cross-leases in Hoon Hay are set up

Three-flat schemes are less common here (2%, against 12% nationally).

Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (2%, against 11% nationally).

Carports appear in fewer leases (5% of schemes, against 13% nationally).

Scheme structureHoon HayChristchurch CityNew Zealand
Cross-lease schemes (shared sections)27512,52587,651
Two-flat schemes96.0%79.7%76.2%
Three-flat schemes1.5%7.8%12.2%
Four or more flats1.8%12.2%11.4%
Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey)822 m²809 m²908 m²
Typical land per flat410 m²369 m²408 m²
Schemes with a garage written into a lease67.6%52.2%28.4%
Schemes with a carport in a lease4.7%5.2%13.3%
Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area1.5%2.1%4.5%
Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem)28.0%25.6%35.6%
Median year of earliest current title199119891988
Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more2136,56454,978

Sources and limits

Unit titles and leasehold in Hoon Hay

Unit titles are 2% of Hoon Hay's titles, well below Christchurch City (8%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 20 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 3 units or fewer.

Sources and limits

New titles in Hoon Hay since 2020

185 of Hoon Hay's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, well below Christchurch City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (13%) and well below New Zealand (12%).

Title typeSince 2020Since 2023
Freehold173110
Unit title74
Cross-lease20
Leasehold10
Other21

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 Hoon Hay

The typical building in Hoon Hay stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).

Nearly all of its 5,332 measured buildings (100%) stand on ground under 5°.

Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits

Distance to the coast from Hoon Hay

Hoon Hay is inland: the typical title is 7.7 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.

Christchurch District Plan maps for Hoon Hay

Of Hoon Hay's 3,156 titles, 76% are in the Residential Suburban zone, 20% are in the Medium density residential zone, 2% are in the Residential New Neighbourhood zone.

District Plan zoneShare of all titlesShare of cross-lease titles
Residential Suburban76%86%
Medium density residential20%14%
Residential New Neighbourhood2%0%
Open Space Water and Margins0%0%
Neighbourhood centre0%0%
Other zones1%0%

None of Hoon Hay's titles is in a mapped qualifying matter area (areas where the District Plan limits the extra housing density it would otherwise allow), apart from site-specific heritage items and settings, which are not counted here.

Mapped hazard or noise overlayShare of all titlesShare of cross-lease titles
Flood Management Area25%20%
High Flood Hazard Management Area0%0%
Flood Ponding Management Area12%9%
Liquefaction Management Zone100%100%
Slope Hazard Management Area0%0%
Tsunami Inundation area0%0%
50 dB Ldn airport noise contour0%0%

Source: Christchurch City Council, District Plan open data (CC BY 4.0), layers last edited 2026-09-16. Each title is counted once, at the centre of its land, so a title partly inside an area may be counted outside it and the other way round. These are the council's planning maps for the operative District Plan, not assessments of any property: being outside a mapped area does not mean a site is free of that hazard, and being inside one does not describe any particular site. Zone rules set what can be built; check the District Plan, and the LIM for any property.

Room for a small stand-alone unit in Hoon Hay

Since 15 January 2026 a new detached unit of up to 70 m² needs no building consent and, in a residential zone, no resource consent, if (among other conditions) it sits at least 2 m from boundaries and other buildings and the site's building coverage stays at or under 50%. Testing those two dimensional rules against LINZ parcel and building outlines for 2,652 residential sections in Hoon Hay (250–5,000 m²):

Result of the public-data screenAll residential sectionsCross-lease sections
No obvious barrier: a 7 × 10 m space fits and coverage would stay at or under 50%45%18%
… of which also in a mapped hazard, qualifying-matter or noise overlay (check needed)28%24%
Space fits but coverage would exceed 50%0%0%
No room for the space55%81%

A screen of two measurements, not advice, and never a statement that anything can be built. Building outlines are approximate and leave out decks, sheds, pools and driveways; easements, land covenants, consent notices, pipes, trees, unmapped hazards and district plan rules that still apply are not visible here. On a cross-lease section the other owners' consent and a new flats plan are normally needed as well, and "one unit per site" may mean one for the whole shared section. The council's Project Information Memorandum (PIM) is the authoritative check. Sources: LINZ NZ Primary Parcels and NZ Building Outlines (CC BY 4.0), Christchurch City Council District Plan (CC BY 4.0).

Every Christchurch suburb on the same screen

Who lives around Hoon Hay: 2023 Census

Hoon Hay's titles fall in 4 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 98% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.

Fewer households have no car in Hoon Hay East than across Christchurch City: 3.9% against 7.1%.

Fewer residents were born overseas in Hoon Hay East than across Christchurch City: 21.1% against 27.9%.

More residents are children under 15 in Hoon Hay East than across Christchurch City: 21.1% against 16.5%.

MeasureHoon Hay East
43% of titles
Hoon Hay West
34% of titles
Hoon Hay South
22% of titles
Christchurch City
whole council
Usual residents3,2913,5342,202391,383
Change since 2018+2.4%+4.9%+1.4%+6.1%
Change since 2013+6.6%+7.0%+4.3%+14.6%
Median age34.73439.237.5
Households1,2211,149834149,442
Own or part-own their home (including family trusts)76.4%59.8%78.1%64.8%
Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting)23.3%39.9%21.6%35.2%
Median household income$97,900$89,600$103,000$90,600
Median weekly rent, renting households$442$292$460$415
Dwellings unoccupied on census night4.7%4.2%4.8%8.1%
Ages
Under 1521.1%20.8%19.8%16.5%
15 to 2919.2%21.6%16.8%21.6%
30 to 6446.1%44.6%47.7%45.5%
65 and over13.4%13.1%15.7%16.3%
Where people came from
Born overseas21.1%26.1%21.8%27.9%
Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years15.3%13.0%14.5%20.1%
Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since)40.3%43.6%37.1%47.2%
Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents)3.2%3.5%2.7%4.2%
Moved here in the last year (of all residents)15.7%16.1%14.5%21.5%
Work and study (people 15 and over)
Bachelor degree or higher29.0%22.0%33.6%29.2%
Employed full-time55.9%49.1%54.7%50.1%
Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate)1.9%3.4%1.9%2.7%
Managers and professionals (of those employed)44.7%37.7%49.4%43.7%
Median personal income$48,600$37,300$47,000$40,400
Getting to work (of those employed)
Work from home12.3%11.1%12.5%13.0%
Car, truck or van72.9%75.7%70.0%71.7%
Bus, train or ferry3.5%3.6%3.4%4.1%
Walk or cycle10.2%7.8%12.5%9.6%
Households and families
One-person households21.1%19.0%21.5%25.9%
Average people per household2.62.92.62.5
Households with no motor vehicle3.9%5.6%3.7%7.1%
Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms)4.0%9.1%2.5%4.6%
Couples with children (of families)43.5%43.3%45.1%40.2%
Couples without children42.5%32.2%40.8%43.3%
One-parent families13.9%24.9%13.6%16.5%
Homes
Separate (stand-alone) houses88.5%86.7%89.2%73.4%
Average bedrooms33.13.13
Heated with a heat pump85.9%84.1%88.5%86.2%
Damp, always or sometimes18.8%24.5%15.8%15.6%
Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes10.3%15.8%9.8%9.4%

Sources and limits

Rents around Hoon Hay

New tenancies in Hoon Hay East in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $553 a week (down 3.0% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Christchurch City ($560), and slightly below the national median ($600).

April–June 2026Hoon Hay East
43% of titles
New Zealand
Median weekly rent, new tenancies$553$600
Middle half of rents$514–$628$490–$700
Change in median on a year earlier−3.0%+0.2%
Bonds lodged in the quarter1840,827

Sources and limits

Schools and hospitals near Hoon Hay

LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Hoon Hay, among them Hillmorton High School (Secondary (Year 7-15)) and Hoon Hay Te Kura Kōaka (Contributing).

Sources and limits

School enrolment zones in Hoon Hay: a guide

Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Hoon Hay's titles, among them Hagley Community College, St Thomas of Canterbury College and Villa Maria College.

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 Hoon Hay

88% of Hoon Hay's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, close to Christchurch City as a whole (83%).

38% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), below the council (54%).

The typical title is 184 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.

Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Metro (Environment Canterbury). Sources and limits

Places of worship near Hoon Hay

OpenStreetMap maps 4 places of worship inside Hoon Hay (3 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).

Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:

Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits

Other suburbs in Christchurch City with many cross-leases

All suburbs in Christchurch City

Suburbs like Hoon Hay

The closest match on the measures on this site is Bishopdale, Christchurch City in Christchurch City, nearest on slope, schools, population change. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits

SuburbCouncilCross-lease share of titlesMedian weekly rent, new tenanciesMedian ageClosest on
Bishopdale, Christchurch CityChristchurch City19.1%$59838.4slope, schools, population change
MairehauChristchurch City12.2%$60034.1slope, stand-alone houses, born overseas
Burnside, Christchurch CityChristchurch City14.3%$66036.8slope, schools, recent movers within NZ
RedwoodChristchurch City21.2%$60038.6slope, near a stop, born overseas
North New BrightonChristchurch City18.1%$56038.6unit-title share, slope, commuting by public transport

Compare suburbs

Questions

What is the rent in Hoon Hay?

New tenancies in Hoon Hay East (the rent area for part of Hoon Hay) had a median rent of $553 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 $514 to $628.

What schools are in Hoon Hay?

LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Hoon Hay, including Hillmorton High School, Hoon Hay Te Kura Kōaka and Our Lady of the Assumption School (Christchurch). The nearest secondary school to its centre is Hillmorton High School (1.1 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include Hagley Community College, St Thomas of Canterbury College and Villa Maria College; check the school's own zone map for any address.