Living in Northwood: schools, census and property titles
The 2,214 live property titles in Northwood, Christchurch City are almost all freehold (86%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 54 (2.4%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 54
- Share of live titles
- 2.4%
- Live titles in total
- 2,214
- Christchurch City share
- 15.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Christchurch City
- 68 of 69
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 604 of 644
Northwood at a glance
Where Northwood differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (higher than 99% of NZ suburbs); cross-lease share of titles (lower than 94% of NZ suburbs); median age (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
- Northwood is listed under Christchurch City.
- 2,214 live titles are recorded here, including 54 cross-lease titles (2.4%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 2.4% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 6.2% 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
- A usable MBIE new-tenancy rent figure is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Northwood
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,898 | 85.7% |
| Cross lease | 54 | 2.4% |
| Unit title | 138 | 6.2% |
| Leasehold | 108 | 4.9% |
| Other record types | 16 | 0.7% |
| Total | 2,214 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Northwood compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Northwood is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Christchurch City as a whole, the share is 15.6%; Northwood is well below the overall Christchurch City share (15.6%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd lowest of 69 in Christchurch City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Northwood are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (19%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Two-flat schemes are more common here (100% of schemes, against 76% nationally).
Fewer leases include a garage (22% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Northwood | Christchurch City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 27 | 12,525 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 100.0% | 79.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 0.0% | 7.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 0.0% | 12.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 794 m² | 809 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 397 m² | 369 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 22.2% | 52.2% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 0.0% | 5.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 3.7% | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 18.5% | 25.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1993 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 20 | 6,564 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Northwood
Unit titles are 6% of Northwood's titles, below Christchurch City (8%) and below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 15 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 5 units or fewer.
108 titles (4.9%) are leasehold, 85 of them units in a unit-title development, well above the national share (1.2%).
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 0 |
| Under 10 years left | 0 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 0 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 23 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 85 |
New titles in Northwood since 2020
88 of Northwood's current titles (4%) were first issued since 2020, well below Christchurch City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (13%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the lowest quarter of 69 in Christchurch City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 68 | 44 |
| Unit title | 11 | 1 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 7 | 3 |
| Other | 2 | 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 Northwood
The typical building in Northwood stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 2,022 measured buildings (98%) stand on ground under 5°.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Northwood
Northwood is inland: the typical title is 8.4 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 Northwood
Of Northwood's 2,214 titles, 51% are in the Residential Suburban zone, 17% are in the Specific Purpose (Golf Resort) zone, 14% are in the High density residential zone.
| District Plan zone | Share of all titles | Share of cross-lease titles |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Suburban | 51% | 100% |
| Specific Purpose (Golf Resort) | 17% | 0% |
| High density residential | 14% | 0% |
| Medium density residential | 10% | 0% |
| Residential New Neighbourhood | 3% | 0% |
| Other zones | 4% | 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: 50 dB Ldn Air Noise Contour (0%).
| Mapped hazard or noise overlay | Share of all titles | Share of cross-lease titles |
|---|---|---|
| Flood Management Area | 12% | 0% |
| High Flood Hazard Management Area | 0% | 0% |
| Flood Ponding Management Area | 0% | 0% |
| Liquefaction Management Zone | 100% | 100% |
| Slope Hazard Management Area | 0% | 0% |
| Tsunami Inundation area | 0% | 0% |
| 50 dB Ldn airport noise contour | 23% | 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 Northwood
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 1,571 residential sections in Northwood (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% | 17% | 7% |
| … of which also in a mapped hazard, qualifying-matter or noise overlay (check needed) | 23% | 0% |
| Space fits but coverage would exceed 50% | 0% | 0% |
| No room for the space | 82% | 93% |
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 Northwood: 2023 Census
About 68% of Northwood's titles are in the census area Northwood (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Northwood exactly.
Fewer households have no car in Northwood than across Christchurch City: 2.0% against 7.1%.
Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Northwood than across Christchurch City: 3.5% against 9.6%.
More residents are 65 or over in Northwood than across Christchurch City: 26.3% against 16.3%.
| Measure | Northwood | Clearwater | Belfast West | Christchurch City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,474 | 813 | 1,908 | 391,383 |
| Change since 2018 | −2.6% | +16.3% | +0.0% | +6.1% |
| Change since 2013 | −1.8% | +30.9% | +2.3% | +14.6% |
| Median age | 49.8 | 54.7 | 39.3 | 37.5 |
| Households | 1,359 | 336 | 735 | 149,442 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 87.6% | 85.7% | 81.2% | 64.8% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 12.4% | 14.3% | 18.4% | 35.2% |
| Median household income | $108,300 | $125,300 | $94,700 | $90,600 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $570 | $326 | $450 | $415 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.4% | 19.0% | 6.2% | 8.1% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 13.7% | 11.8% | 19.0% | 16.5% |
| 15 to 29 | 15.3% | 12.9% | 16.0% | 21.6% |
| 30 to 64 | 44.6% | 49.1% | 48.4% | 45.5% |
| 65 and over | 26.3% | 26.2% | 16.5% | 16.3% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 25.0% | 21.2% | 19.6% | 27.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 12.5% | 8.8% | 15.3% | 20.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 36.8% | 44.6% | 39.3% | 47.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.0% | 4.2% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 12.7% | 14.9% | 15.1% | 21.5% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 27.5% | 25.1% | 18.0% | 29.2% |
| Employed full-time | 48.2% | 45.2% | 54.8% | 50.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.5% | 0.8% | 1.9% | 2.7% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 50.3% | 53.4% | 37.3% | 43.7% |
| Median personal income | $43,000 | $50,100 | $44,400 | $40,400 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 15.2% | 21.6% | 14.0% | 13.0% |
| Car, truck or van | 78.2% | 75.0% | 80.3% | 71.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 2.3% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 4.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 3.5% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 9.6% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 20.3% | 18.9% | 24.2% | 25.9% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.0% | 1.0% | 2.6% | 7.1% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 1.1% | 1.9% | 3.3% | 4.6% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 42.6% | 36.8% | 40.0% | 40.2% |
| Couples without children | 50.4% | 57.5% | 45.7% | 43.3% |
| One-parent families | 7.3% | 5.7% | 14.9% | 16.5% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 87.7% | 67.9% | 90.2% | 73.4% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 92.8% | 79.6% | 84.8% | 86.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 4.6% | 7.8% | 13.4% | 15.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 2.7% | 2.9% | 6.8% | 9.4% |
Schools and hospitals near Northwood
No school site lies inside Northwood's boundary; the nearest is Pītau-Allenvale School, 1.8 km away in a straight line.
- Nearest school: Pītau-Allenvale School (1.8 km)
- Nearest secondary school: St Bede's College (3.8 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Christchurch Hospital (9.3 km)
School enrolment zones in Northwood: a guide
Six secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Northwood's titles, among them Hagley Community College, Marian College and Papanui High School.
- Belfast School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- St Joseph's School (Papanui) (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Christchurch Adventist School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Emmanuel Christian School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Middleton Grange School (Year 11-13) (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Hagley Community College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Marian College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Papanui High School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Bede's College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Thomas of Canterbury College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Villa Maria 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 Northwood
58% of Northwood's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, below Christchurch City as a whole (83%).
39% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), below the council (54%).
The typical title is 305 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 Northwood
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Northwood's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Salvation Army Church, 2.4 km away
- Hindu: Sri Ganesha Temple Christchurch, 4.3 km away
- Buddhist: Wat Buddha Samakhee, 5.4 km away
- Muslim: Rasol-O-Allah Islamic Center, 4.6 km away
- Jewish: Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, 8.1 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 Northwood
The closest match on the measures on this site is Harewood in Christchurch City, nearest on slope, born overseas, population change. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harewood | Christchurch City | 6.3% | No data | 50.3 | slope, born overseas, population change |
| Redcliffs | Christchurch City | 13.6% | No data | 52 | distance to a hospital, older residents, commuting by public transport |
| Witherlea | Marlborough District | 14.5% | $595 | 46.8 | distance to the coast, elevation, slope |
| Springlands | Marlborough District | 6.5% | No data | 48.8 | slope, elevation, distance to the coast |
| Gleniti | Timaru District | 6.4% | No data | 48 | commuting on foot or by bike, home ownership, stand-alone houses |
Questions
What schools are in Northwood?
No school site lies inside Northwood's boundary. The nearest school is Pītau-Allenvale School (1.8 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include Hagley Community College, Marian College and Papanui High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.