Living in Tamatea: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,255 live property titles in Tamatea, Napier City are mostly freehold (79%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 138 (6.1%), below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 138
- Share of live titles
- 6.1%
- Live titles in total
- 2,255
- Napier City share
- 7.0%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Napier City
- 7 of 12
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 441 of 644
Tamatea at a glance
Where Tamatea differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: titles first issued since 2020 (lower than 97% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Tamatea is listed under Napier City.
- 2,255 live titles are recorded here, including 138 cross-lease titles (6.1%).
- 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 6.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.6% 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 Tamatea
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,779 | 78.9% |
| Cross lease | 138 | 6.1% |
| Unit title | 14 | 0.6% |
| Leasehold | 309 | 13.7% |
| Other record types | 15 | 0.7% |
| Total | 2,255 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Tamatea compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Tamatea is lower than the national share (8.7%).
Across Napier City as a whole, the share is 7.0%; Tamatea is slightly lower than the overall Napier City share (7.0%).
How cross-leases in Tamatea are set up
Three-flat schemes are more common here (46%, against 12% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (2% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (16%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
| Scheme structure | Tamatea | Napier City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 57 | 899 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 47.4% | 69.3% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 45.6% | 18.9% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 7.0% | 11.3% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 810 m² | 888 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 325 m² | 402 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 26.3% | 34.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.0% | 5.3% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 1.8% | 6.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 15.8% | 37.4% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 2003 | 1994 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 23 | 526 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Tamatea
Unit titles are 1% of Tamatea's titles, well below Napier City (4%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 7 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
309 titles (13.7%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
68 of them have a stated term that has ended or has under 10 years to run, which is worth reading closely in the lease.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 68 |
| Under 10 years left | 0 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 1 |
| More than 50 years left | 175 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 37 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 28 |
New titles in Tamatea since 2020
42 of Tamatea's current titles (2%) were first issued since 2020, well below Napier City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is joint lowest of 12 in Napier City.
10 are cross-lease titles, often re-issued when a flats plan is updated.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 25 | 13 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 10 | 5 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 0 |
| Other | 6 | 6 |
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 Tamatea
The typical building in Tamatea stands on ground sloping 0.8° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 3,018 measured buildings (100%) stand on ground under 5°.
Much of the land is low-lying: the median elevation is 2 m, and parts are below sea level.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Tamatea
Tamatea is inland: the typical title is 2.8 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 Tamatea: 2023 Census
Tamatea's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 99% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Tamatea West than across Napier City: 8.9% against 12.8%.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Tamatea West than across Napier City: 15.2% against 20.6%.
| Measure | Tamatea West 35% of titles | Tamatea North 33% of titles | Tamatea East 31% of titles | Napier City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,043 | 1,734 | 1,785 | 64,695 |
| Change since 2018 | +2.1% | +3.0% | +3.1% | +3.9% |
| Change since 2013 | +11.5% | +10.3% | +9.2% | +13.0% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 34.4 | 35.4 | 42 |
| Households | 741 | 615 | 657 | 24,591 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 65.2% | 62.4% | 61.6% | 69.3% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 34.4% | 37.6% | 37.9% | 30.7% |
| Median household income | $75,300 | $81,000 | $83,400 | $83,400 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $350 | $380 | $350 | $400 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 3.9% | 5.5% | 2.7% | 7.0% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 21.6% | 21.8% | 20.3% | 18.4% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.8% | 21.3% | 20.5% | 17.2% |
| 30 to 64 | 39.6% | 43.4% | 42.7% | 43.3% |
| 65 and over | 20.9% | 13.7% | 16.5% | 21.1% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 17.5% | 13.6% | 18.1% | 18.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 20.5% | 27.3% | 27.4% | 22.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 41.3% | 40.4% | 40.2% | 42.9% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.0% | 4.0% | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 17.5% | 18.3% | 15.9% | 17.2% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 15.2% | 14.4% | 16.8% | 20.6% |
| Employed full-time | 48.7% | 54.7% | 52.7% | 48.6% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 34.8% | 32.2% | 36.2% | 40.5% |
| Median personal income | $38,400 | $39,300 | $39,600 | $39,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 8.9% | 6.8% | 9.2% | 12.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 85.8% | 85.3% | 85.2% | 80.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Walk or cycle | 3.5% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 5.1% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 29.3% | 27.4% | 25.1% | 26.9% |
| Average people per household | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 6.7% | 7.8% | 8.6% | 6.0% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 7.7% | 8.5% | 7.6% | 6.1% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 38.6% | 38.2% | 39.7% | 36.3% |
| Couples without children | 38.6% | 32.4% | 36.4% | 44.6% |
| One-parent families | 22.3% | 29.4% | 24.5% | 19.1% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 80.6% | 74.4% | 76.7% | 79.1% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 73.3% | 73.5% | 81.7% | 76.0% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 15.7% | 20.2% | 20.3% | 15.9% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 11.8% | 16.1% | 13.7% | 11.3% |
Rents around Tamatea
New tenancies in Tamatea West in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $595 a week. That is close to the typical suburb in Napier City ($600), and close to the national median ($600); 2nd lowest of 8 in Napier City.
| April–June 2026 | Tamatea West 35% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $595 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $496–$665 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | — | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Tamatea
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Tamatea, among them Porritt School (Contributing) and Tamatea High School (Secondary (Year 9-15)).
- Porritt School (Contributing)
- Tamatea High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Tamatea Intermediate (Intermediate)
- Tamatea School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Tamatea School (0.1 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Tamatea High School (1.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Hawke's Bay Hospital (13.9 km)
School enrolment zones in Tamatea: a guide
Five secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Tamatea's titles, among them Iona College, Lindisfarne College and St John's College (Hastings).
- Porritt School (primary, Years 1–6): about 90% of titles
- Tamatea School (primary, Years 1–6): about 80% of titles
- Tamatea Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Hastings Christian School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Taikura Rudolf Steiner School (composite): all or nearly all titles
- Iona College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Lindisfarne College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St John's College (Hastings) (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Joseph's Maori Girls' College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Woodford House (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 Tamatea
OpenStreetMap maps 4 places of worship inside Tamatea (4 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: City Assembly of God, under 1 km away
- Buddhist: Phuntsok Choeling Buddhist Centre, 4.7 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Napier City with many cross-leases
- Taradale: 553 cross-lease titles (9.7%)
- Marewa: 348 cross-lease titles (14.6%)
- Greenmeadows: 282 cross-lease titles (10.5%)
- Onekawa: 222 cross-lease titles (7.4%)
- Napier South: 156 cross-lease titles (5.1%)
- Pirimai: 117 cross-lease titles (7.3%)
- Westshore: 75 cross-lease titles (10.6%)
- Ahuriri: 40 cross-lease titles (4.0%)
Suburbs like Tamatea
The closest match on the measures on this site is Greenmeadows in Napier City, nearest on unit-title share, household income, elevation. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenmeadows | Napier City | 10.5% | No data | 41.1 | unit-title share, household income, elevation |
| Napier South | Napier City | 5.1% | $600 | 40.9 | elevation, slope, rent |
| Pirimai | Napier City | 7.3% | No data | 34 | degrees, distance to the coast, elevation |
| Taradale | Napier City | 9.7% | $638 | 42.2 | commuting by public transport, unit-title share, stand-alone houses |
| Raureka | Hastings District | 8.1% | $635 | 34.1 | unit-title share, degrees, slope |
Questions
What is the rent in Tamatea?
New tenancies in Tamatea West (the rent area for part of Tamatea) 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 $496 to $665.
What schools are in Tamatea?
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Tamatea, including Porritt School, Tamatea High School and Tamatea Intermediate. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Tamatea High School (1.0 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include Iona College, Lindisfarne College and St John's College (Hastings); check the school's own zone map for any address.