Living in Belleknowes: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 825 live property titles in Belleknowes, Dunedin City are almost all freehold (94%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 39 (4.7%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
Belleknowes cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 39
- Share of live titles
- 4.7%
- Live titles in total
- 825
- Dunedin City share
- 4.9%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Dunedin City
- 13 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 506 of 644
Belleknowes at a glance
Where Belleknowes differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (higher than 95% of NZ suburbs); titles first issued since 2020 (lower than 93% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Belleknowes is listed under Dunedin City.
- 825 live titles are recorded here, including 39 cross-lease titles (4.7%).
- 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 4.7% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 1.3% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- 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
- Mapped public-transport context is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Belleknowes
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 772 | 93.6% |
| Cross lease | 39 | 4.7% |
| Unit title | 11 | 1.3% |
| Leasehold | 1 | 0.1% |
| Other record types | 2 | 0.2% |
| Total | 825 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Belleknowes compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Belleknowes is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Dunedin City as a whole, the share is 4.9%; Belleknowes is close to the overall Dunedin City share (4.9%).
How cross-leases in Belleknowes are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (10%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Carports appear in fewer leases (5% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are less common here (5%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Belleknowes | Dunedin City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 21 | 1,210 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 95.2% | 70.9% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 4.8% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 0.0% | 18.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 675 m² | 632 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 335 m² | 270 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 23.8% | 32.4% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 4.8% | 17.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 9.5% | 10.2% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1980 | 1980 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 8 | 239 | 54,978 |
New titles in Belleknowes since 2020
21 of Belleknowes's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Dunedin City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the lowest quarter of 17 in Dunedin City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 20 | 10 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 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 Belleknowes
The typical building in Belleknowes stands on ground sloping 7.3° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
The land rises from about 50 m to 214 m, and 26% of all of it, including reserves and gullies, is 15° or steeper.
Little of the sloping land faces north: 13%, 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 Belleknowes
Belleknowes is inland: the typical title is 2.2 km from the sea or harbour edge, and none is 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 Belleknowes: 2023 Census
About 99% of Belleknowes's titles are in the census area Belleknowes (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Belleknowes exactly.
Fewer households have no car in Belleknowes than across Dunedin City: 4.0% against 8.8%.
More adults hold a degree in Belleknowes than across Dunedin City: 46.4% against 29.0%.
Household incomes are higher in Belleknowes than across Dunedin City: $111,800 against $80,500.
| Measure | Belleknowes | Dunedin City whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,208 | 128,901 |
| Change since 2018 | −0.5% | +2.1% |
| Change since 2013 | −0.9% | +7.2% |
| Median age | 41.5 | 37 |
| Households | 846 | 49,188 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 75.5% | 68.1% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 24.8% | 31.8% |
| Median household income | $111,800 | $80,500 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $490 | $400 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.7% | 8.2% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 16.7% | 14.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 19.2% | 26.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 47.1% | 41.2% |
| 65 and over | 17.0% | 17.3% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 24.6% | 21.2% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 20.0% | 22.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 38.0% | 45.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 4.0% | 3.7% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 19.0% | 24.0% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 46.4% | 29.0% |
| Employed full-time | 50.9% | 44.5% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.6% | 3.2% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 54.4% | 42.6% |
| Median personal income | $47,500 | $33,500 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 13.4% | 12.6% |
| Car, truck or van | 68.5% | 70.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 3.7% | 4.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 13.2% | 11.4% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 24.3% | 27.0% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 4.0% | 8.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 1.4% | 3.4% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 43.3% | 38.4% |
| Couples without children | 44.8% | 46.5% |
| One-parent families | 11.4% | 15.1% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 88.4% | 81.2% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.2 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 87.8% | 77.7% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 13.9% | 17.3% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 8.7% | 11.5% |
Rents around Belleknowes
New tenancies in Belleknowes in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $615 a week (down 2.4% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Dunedin City ($565), and close to the national median ($600); 3rd highest of 13 in Dunedin City.
| April–June 2026 | Belleknowes | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $615 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $458–$705 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −2.4% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Belleknowes
No school site lies inside Belleknowes's boundary; the nearest is Arthur Street School, 1.0 km away in a straight line.
- Nearest school: Arthur Street School (1.0 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Otago Boys' High School (1.1 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Dunedin Hospital (2.1 km)
School enrolment zones in Belleknowes: a guide
Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Belleknowes's titles, among them John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and Otago Girls' High School.
- Mornington School (primary, Years 1–6): about 65% of titles
- Kaikorai School (primary, Years 1–6): about 50% of titles
- Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Liberton Christian School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Balmacewen Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Columba College (composite): all or nearly all titles
- John McGlashan College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Kavanagh College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Otago Girls' High School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Hildas Collegiate (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
Places of worship near Belleknowes
OpenStreetMap maps 1 place of worship inside Belleknowes (1 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: World Mission Society Church of God (former Roslyn Presbyterian Church), under 1 km away
- Muslim: Masjid Al Huda, 2.6 km away
- Jewish: Dunedin Jewish Congregation, 2.8 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Dunedin City with many cross-leases
- Mosgiel: 626 cross-lease titles (8.9%)
- Saint Kilda: 573 cross-lease titles (25.3%)
- South Dunedin: 356 cross-lease titles (16.9%)
- Caversham: 165 cross-lease titles (12.2%)
- Dunedin Central: 123 cross-lease titles (3.4%)
- North East Valley: 96 cross-lease titles (5.4%)
- Roslyn: 85 cross-lease titles (9.8%)
Suburbs like Belleknowes
The closest match on the measures on this site is Andersons Bay in Dunedin City, nearest on population change, unit-title share, home ownership. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andersons Bay | Dunedin City | 4.0% | No data | 40.6 | population change, unit-title share, home ownership |
| Roslyn, Dunedin City | Dunedin City | 9.8% | $650 | 41.2 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, population change |
| Kenmure | Dunedin City | 5.5% | No data | 37.3 | population change, unit-title share, distance to the coast |
| Kaikorai | Dunedin City | 5.4% | $538 | 38.5 | schools, distance to the coast, distance to a hospital |
| Saint Clair | Dunedin City | 5.5% | $740 | 44.9 | population change, stand-alone houses, household income |
Questions
What is the rent in Belleknowes?
New tenancies in the Belleknowes rent area had a median rent of $615 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 $458 to $705.
What schools are in Belleknowes?
No school site lies inside Belleknowes's boundary. The nearest school is Arthur Street School (1.0 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and Otago Girls' High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.