Living in Witherlea: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,757 live property titles in Witherlea, Marlborough District are almost all freehold (85%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 400 (14.5%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 400
- Share of live titles
- 14.5%
- Live titles in total
- 2,757
- Marlborough District share
- 7.4%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Marlborough District
- 3 of 10
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 219 of 644
Witherlea at a glance
Where Witherlea differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (higher than 90% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Witherlea is listed under Marlborough District.
- 2,757 live titles are recorded here, including 400 cross-lease titles (14.5%).
- 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 14.5% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- 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 Witherlea
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,344 | 85.0% |
| Cross lease | 400 | 14.5% |
| Unit title | 0 | 0.0% |
| Leasehold | 12 | 0.4% |
| Other record types | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total | 2,757 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Witherlea compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Witherlea is about 1.7 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Marlborough District as a whole, the share is 7.4%; Witherlea is about 2.0 times the overall Marlborough District share (7.4%).
Its cross-lease share is 3rd highest of 10 in Marlborough District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Witherlea are set up
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (1% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are less common here (4%, against 12% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (6%, against 11% nationally), up to 6.
| Scheme structure | Witherlea | Marlborough District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 187 | 989 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 89.3% | 77.5% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 4.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 6.4% | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 867 m² | 870 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 419 m² | 394 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 31.0% | 35.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 9.1% | 11.2% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.5% | 2.4% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 32.6% | 31.5% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1992 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 148 | 593 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Witherlea
12 titles (0.4%) are leasehold.
Most stated terms have more than 50 years to run.
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 | 9 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 1 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 2 |
New titles in Witherlea since 2020
175 of Witherlea's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, below Marlborough District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 175 | 121 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0 |
| 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 Witherlea
The typical building in Witherlea stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 3rd steepest of 10 in Marlborough District.
Nearly all of its 3,812 measured buildings (98%) stand on ground under 5°.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Witherlea
Witherlea is inland: the typical title is 8.7 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.
Who lives around Witherlea: 2023 Census
Witherlea's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 94% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Witherlea West than across Marlborough District: 5.9% against 8.0%.
Fewer people live alone in Witherlea West than across Marlborough District: 19.1% against 25.6%.
Fewer workers work from home in Witherlea West than across Marlborough District: 13.0% against 16.7%.
| Measure | Witherlea West 51% of titles | Witherlea East 43% of titles | Marlborough District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,952 | 2,805 | 49,431 |
| Change since 2018 | +13.5% | −0.1% | +4.4% |
| Change since 2013 | +35.4% | +5.8% | +13.9% |
| Median age | 46.8 | 42.9 | 46.1 |
| Households | 1,158 | 1,089 | 19,587 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 83.2% | 80.2% | 74.0% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 16.6% | 20.1% | 26.0% |
| Median household income | $88,200 | $87,900 | $81,700 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $410 | $460 | $384 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.3% | 4.9% | 17.9% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 17.7% | 18.9% | 16.7% |
| 15 to 29 | 13.2% | 13.3% | 14.4% |
| 30 to 64 | 44.1% | 45.1% | 45.0% |
| 65 and over | 25.0% | 22.6% | 23.9% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 20.2% | 20.3% | 19.7% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 21.8% | 24.9% | 24.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 41.1% | 38.9% | 44.3% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.3% | 14.0% | 16.6% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 18.8% | 21.6% | 18.5% |
| Employed full-time | 47.2% | 51.7% | 49.6% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.7% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 42.5% | 39.9% | 39.0% |
| Median personal income | $40,500 | $41,700 | $39,400 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 13.0% | 10.6% | 16.7% |
| Car, truck or van | 79.6% | 82.5% | 74.1% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Walk or cycle | 5.9% | 6.1% | 8.0% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 19.1% | 21.9% | 25.6% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 3.2% | 3.4% | 4.4% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 1.0% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 35.9% | 38.9% | 34.2% |
| Couples without children | 54.2% | 47.8% | 53.2% |
| One-parent families | 9.8% | 13.3% | 12.6% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 93.0% | 87.7% | 84.9% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 85.1% | 74.2% | 66.7% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 5.7% | 9.2% | 11.0% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 4.3% | 6.3% | 7.1% |
Rents around Witherlea
New tenancies in Witherlea West in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $595 a week (down 2.5% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Marlborough District ($550), and close to the national median ($600); 2nd highest of 7 in Marlborough District.
| April–June 2026 | Witherlea West 51% of titles | Witherlea East 43% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $595 | $575 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $535–$635 | $520–$595 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −2.5% | −7.3% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Witherlea
One school site lies inside Witherlea: Witherlea School (Contributing).
- Witherlea School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Witherlea School (1.2 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Richmond View School (2.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Wairau Hospital (0.9 km)
School enrolment zones in Witherlea: a guide
The largest primary-school zone share of Witherlea's titles is in Witherlea School's home zone (all or nearly all).
- Witherlea School (primary, Years 1–6): all or nearly all titles
- Bohally Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): 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 Witherlea
OpenStreetMap maps 1 place of worship inside Witherlea (1 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Marlborough Bible Baptist Church, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Marlborough District with many cross-leases
- Blenheim: 664 cross-lease titles (18.2%)
- Redwoodtown: 499 cross-lease titles (19.8%)
- Picton: 272 cross-lease titles (13.0%)
- Springlands: 153 cross-lease titles (6.5%)
- Mayfield: 113 cross-lease titles (11.8%)
- Riversdale: 49 cross-lease titles (8.0%)
- Waikawa: 47 cross-lease titles (4.8%)
- Renwick: 33 cross-lease titles (2.5%)
All suburbs in Marlborough District
Suburbs like Witherlea
The closest match on the measures on this site is Springlands in Marlborough District, nearest on commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springlands | Marlborough District | 6.5% | No data | 48.8 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, born overseas |
| Redwoodtown | Marlborough District | 19.8% | $535 | 41.8 | children, commuting by public transport, born overseas |
| Northwood | Christchurch City | 2.4% | No data | 49.8 | distance to the coast, elevation, slope |
| Blenheim | Marlborough District | 18.2% | $565 | 43.5 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, new titles |
| Parklands | Christchurch City | 14.8% | $580 | 39.7 | cross-lease share, household income, recent movers within NZ |
Questions
What is the rent in Witherlea?
New tenancies in Witherlea West (the rent area for part of Witherlea) had a median rent of $595 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 $535 to $635.
What schools are in Witherlea?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Witherlea: Witherlea School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Richmond View School (2.0 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.