Living in Mairehau: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,438 live property titles in Mairehau, Christchurch City are mostly freehold (75%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 419 (12.2%), above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 419
- Share of live titles
- 12.2%
- Live titles in total
- 3,438
- Christchurch City share
- 15.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Christchurch City
- 54 of 69
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 270 of 644
Mairehau at a glance
Where Mairehau differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (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
- Mairehau is listed under Christchurch City.
- 3,438 live titles are recorded here, including 419 cross-lease titles (12.2%).
- 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 12.2% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 12.1% 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 Mairehau
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,570 | 74.8% |
| Cross lease | 419 | 12.2% |
| Unit title | 417 | 12.1% |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other record types | 32 | 0.9% |
| Total | 3,438 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Mairehau compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Mairehau is higher than the national share (8.7%).
Across Christchurch City as a whole, the share is 15.6%; Mairehau is lower than the overall Christchurch City share (15.6%).
Its cross-lease share is in the lowest quarter of 69 in Christchurch City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Mairehau are set up
Three-flat schemes are less common here (3%, against 12% nationally).
More leases include a garage (60% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (3% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Mairehau | Christchurch City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 207 | 12,525 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 97.1% | 79.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 2.9% | 7.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 0.0% | 12.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 807 m² | 809 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 402 m² | 369 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 59.9% | 52.2% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 9.2% | 5.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.9% | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 31.9% | 25.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 154 | 6,564 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Mairehau
Unit titles are 12% of Mairehau's titles, well above Christchurch City (8%) and well above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 21 developments, each run by a body corporate; 1 has 50 or more units.
The unit-title share is in the highest quarter of 69 in Christchurch City.
New titles in Mairehau since 2020
219 of Mairehau'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%).
Most came recently: 179 since 2023.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 201 | 166 |
| Unit title | 11 | 8 |
| Cross-lease | 6 | 4 |
| 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 Mairehau
The typical building in Mairehau stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 4,929 measured buildings (100%) stand on ground under 5°.
Much of the land is low-lying: the median elevation is 5 m.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Mairehau
Mairehau is inland: the typical title is 6.6 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 Mairehau
Of Mairehau's 3,438 titles, 82% are in the Residential Suburban zone, 14% are in the Medium density residential zone, 1% are in the Neighbourhood centre zone.
| District Plan zone | Share of all titles | Share of cross-lease titles |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Suburban | 82% | 88% |
| Medium density residential | 14% | 12% |
| Neighbourhood centre | 1% | 0% |
| Rural Urban Fringe | 1% | 0% |
| Open Space Community Parks | 0% | 0% |
| Other zones | 2% | 0% |
0% of titles are in at least one qualifying matter area, where the District Plan limits the extra housing density it would otherwise allow: Industrial Interface (0%).
| Mapped hazard or noise overlay | Share of all titles | Share of cross-lease titles |
|---|---|---|
| Flood Management Area | 59% | 67% |
| High Flood Hazard Management Area | 0% | 0% |
| Flood Ponding Management Area | 1% | 0% |
| Liquefaction Management Zone | 100% | 100% |
| Slope Hazard Management Area | 0% | 0% |
| Tsunami Inundation area | 0% | 0% |
| 50 dB Ldn airport noise contour | 0% | 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 Mairehau
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 2,581 residential sections in Mairehau (250–5,000 m²):
| Result of the public-data screen | All residential sections | Cross-lease sections |
|---|---|---|
| No obvious barrier: a 7 × 10 m space fits and coverage would stay at or under 50% | 41% | 17% |
| … of which also in a mapped hazard, qualifying-matter or noise overlay (check needed) | 48% | 64% |
| Space fits but coverage would exceed 50% | 0% | 0% |
| No room for the space | 58% | 83% |
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 Mairehau: 2023 Census
Mairehau's titles fall in 7 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 97% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer residents are 65 or over in Mairehau South than across Christchurch City: 10.1% against 16.3%.
Fewer households have no car in Mairehau South than across Christchurch City: 4.5% against 7.1%.
Fewer residents were born overseas in Mairehau South than across Christchurch City: 20.8% against 27.9%.
| Measure | Mairehau South 45% of titles | Mairehau North 40% of titles | Shirley West 12% of titles | Christchurch City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,759 | 3,033 | 4,281 | 391,383 |
| Change since 2018 | +0.3% | −2.8% | +2.6% | +6.1% |
| Change since 2013 | −0.1% | +10.5% | +7.8% | +14.6% |
| Median age | 34.1 | 44.6 | 35.2 | 37.5 |
| Households | 1,392 | 1,188 | 1,545 | 149,442 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 70.0% | 73.2% | 57.9% | 64.8% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 29.7% | 26.8% | 42.1% | 35.2% |
| Median household income | $105,500 | $78,000 | $75,700 | $90,600 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $440 | $400 | $300 | $415 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.8% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 8.1% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 20.8% | 15.4% | 19.4% | 16.5% |
| 15 to 29 | 22.6% | 16.7% | 20.7% | 21.6% |
| 30 to 64 | 46.6% | 41.7% | 45.9% | 45.5% |
| 65 and over | 10.1% | 26.1% | 13.9% | 16.3% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 20.8% | 19.6% | 22.4% | 27.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 15.2% | 12.8% | 13.1% | 20.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 44.5% | 43.1% | 44.9% | 47.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.5% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 18.1% | 17.2% | 18.4% | 21.5% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 29.8% | 21.0% | 17.8% | 29.2% |
| Employed full-time | 59.3% | 42.5% | 46.7% | 50.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.3% | 2.1% | 3.5% | 2.7% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 47.0% | 42.3% | 33.6% | 43.7% |
| Median personal income | $48,400 | $34,600 | $35,300 | $40,400 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 11.6% | 12.6% | 10.2% | 13.0% |
| Car, truck or van | 73.7% | 73.5% | 76.0% | 71.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 3.9% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 4.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.0% | 8.0% | 7.2% | 9.6% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 23.3% | 31.2% | 24.0% | 25.9% |
| Average people per household | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 4.5% | 10.0% | 10.7% | 7.1% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.4% | 2.8% | 6.6% | 4.6% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 44.8% | 39.5% | 38.4% | 40.2% |
| Couples without children | 37.3% | 43.3% | 34.1% | 43.3% |
| One-parent families | 17.6% | 17.2% | 27.8% | 16.5% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 88.8% | 72.5% | 83.7% | 73.4% |
| Average bedrooms | 3 | 2.9 | 3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 86.6% | 89.0% | 84.9% | 86.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 21.3% | 16.1% | 19.9% | 15.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 10.9% | 9.3% | 12.3% | 9.4% |
Rents around Mairehau
New tenancies in Mairehau South in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $600 a week (down 2.4% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Christchurch City ($560), and close to the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Mairehau South 45% of titles | Shirley West 12% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $600 | $560 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $576–$659 | $530–$600 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −2.4% | +1.8% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 30 | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Mairehau
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Mairehau, among them Mairehau High School (Secondary (Year 9-15)) and Mairehau Primary School (Full Primary).
- Mairehau High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Mairehau Primary School (Full Primary)
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic School (Full Primary)
- Te Hiwa Shirley Primary School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Mairehau Primary School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Mairehau High School (0.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Christchurch Hospital (4.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Mairehau: a guide
Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Mairehau's titles, among them Hagley Community College, Marian College and St Bede's College.
- Shirley School (primary, Years 1–6): about 20% of titles
- St Albans School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles (zone takes effect 1 January 2027)
- Mairehau School (primary, Years 1–8): about 75% of titles
- Shirley Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 25% of titles
- Christchurch Adventist School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Middleton Grange School (Year 11-13) (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Emmanuel Christian School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Hagley Community College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Marian College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Bede's College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Mairehau High School (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 Mairehau
76% of Mairehau's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, slightly below Christchurch City as a whole (83%).
66% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), above the council (54%).
The typical title is 194 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 Mairehau
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Mairehau (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Shirley Samoan Assembly of God, under 1 km away
- Hindu: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Christchurch, 2.7 km away
- Buddhist: Wat Buddha Samakhee, 2.1 km away
- Muslim: Nawawi Centre, 3.3 km away
- Sikh: Gurudwara Singh Sabha, 6.0 km away
- Jewish: Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, 3.0 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Christchurch City with many cross-leases
- St Albans: 1,674 cross-lease titles (24.5%)
- Riccarton: 1,331 cross-lease titles (27.2%)
- Linwood: 1,165 cross-lease titles (23.6%)
- Avonhead: 982 cross-lease titles (24.2%)
- Sydenham: 982 cross-lease titles (20.5%)
- Ilam: 964 cross-lease titles (27.4%)
- Edgeware: 870 cross-lease titles (36.8%)
- Woolston: 862 cross-lease titles (15.2%)
All suburbs in Christchurch City
Suburbs like Mairehau
The closest match on the measures on this site is Hoon Hay in Christchurch City, nearest on slope, stand-alone houses, born overseas. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoon Hay | Christchurch City | 17.8% | $553 | 34.7 | slope, stand-alone houses, born overseas |
| Burnside, Christchurch City | Christchurch City | 14.3% | $660 | 36.8 | slope, household income, population change |
| Bishopdale, Christchurch City | Christchurch City | 19.1% | $598 | 38.4 | slope, near a frequent stop, commuting by public transport |
| Bryndwr | Christchurch City | 16.8% | $585 | 34.2 | slope, median age, distance to a hospital |
| Redwood | Christchurch City | 21.2% | $600 | 38.6 | new titles, rent, slope |
Questions
What is the rent in Mairehau?
New tenancies in Mairehau South (the rent area for part of Mairehau) had a median rent of $600 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 $576 to $659.
What schools are in Mairehau?
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Mairehau, including Mairehau High School, Mairehau Primary School and St Francis of Assisi Catholic School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Mairehau High School (0.6 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include Hagley Community College, Marian College and St Bede's College; check the school's own zone map for any address.