Living in Tāhunanui: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,076 live property titles in Tāhunanui, Nelson City are mostly freehold (69%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 257 (12.4%), above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 257
- Share of live titles
- 12.4%
- Live titles in total
- 2,076
- Nelson City share
- 5.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Nelson City
- 2 of 15
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 266 of 644
Tāhunanui at a glance
Where Tāhunanui differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: titles first issued since 2020 (lower 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
- Tāhunanui is listed under Nelson City.
- 2,076 live titles are recorded here, including 257 cross-lease titles (12.4%).
- 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 12.4% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 1.8% 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 Tāhunanui
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,430 | 68.9% |
| Cross lease | 257 | 12.4% |
| Unit title | 37 | 1.8% |
| Leasehold | 351 | 16.9% |
| Other record types | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total | 2,076 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Tāhunanui compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Tāhunanui is higher than the national share (8.7%).
Across Nelson City as a whole, the share is 5.3%; Tāhunanui is about 2.3 times the overall Nelson City share (5.3%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd highest of 15 in Nelson City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Tāhunanui are set up
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (1% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (26%, against 11% nationally), up to 9.
Carports appear in fewer leases (7% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Tāhunanui | Nelson City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 97 | 795 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 55.7% | 69.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 18.6% | 15.3% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 25.8% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 994 m² | 840 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 374 m² | 381 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 27.8% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.2% | 8.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 1.0% | 1.9% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 28.9% | 24.4% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1991 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 45 | 379 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Tāhunanui
351 titles (16.9%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
8 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 | 4 |
| Under 10 years left | 4 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 3 |
| More than 50 years left | 332 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 7 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 1 |
New titles in Tāhunanui since 2020
59 of Tāhunanui's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Nelson City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
Most are unit titles: 37 in 1 development (apartments, terraces or townhouses under a body corporate).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 18 | 6 |
| Unit title | 37 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 3 | 1 |
| Other | 1 | 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 Tāhunanui
The typical building in Tāhunanui stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 2nd flattest of 15 in Nelson City.
Much of the land is low-lying: the median elevation is 4 m, and parts are below sea level.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Tāhunanui
4% of Tāhunanui's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 43% within 500 m and 86% within 1 km. The typical title is 540 m away.
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 Tāhunanui: 2023 Census
About 70% of Tāhunanui's titles are in the census area Tāhunanui (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Tāhunanui exactly.
More people live alone in Tāhunanui than across Nelson City: 40.8% against 27.1%.
Fewer homes are stand-alone houses in Tāhunanui than across Nelson City: 54.3% against 78.4%.
More households have no car in Tāhunanui than across Nelson City: 7.9% against 5.6%.
| Measure | Tāhunanui | Tahuna Hills | Nelson City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,892 | 2,949 | 52,584 |
| Change since 2018 | +5.4% | +3.6% | +3.3% |
| Change since 2013 | +11.7% | +11.2% | +13.2% |
| Median age | 39.9 | 49.7 | 44 |
| Households | 1,269 | 1,137 | 20,577 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 56.3% | 75.7% | 71.2% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 44.0% | 24.3% | 28.8% |
| Median household income | $59,200 | $94,100 | $81,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $400 | $490 | $430 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 10.3% | 10.4% | 7.4% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 15.8% | 14.9% | 16.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.9% | 12.9% | 15.6% |
| 30 to 64 | 48.3% | 46.4% | 46.2% |
| 65 and over | 17.9% | 25.9% | 21.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 23.3% | 26.4% | 26.5% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 26.8% | 21.8% | 22.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 48.7% | 39.5% | 43.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 4.6% | 6.1% | 5.0% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 21.7% | 19.0% | 18.2% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 19.6% | 31.7% | 26.8% |
| Employed full-time | 48.2% | 45.5% | 47.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.7% | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 34.2% | 50.6% | 42.2% |
| Median personal income | $36,300 | $42,100 | $38,800 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 13.2% | 19.7% | 14.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 69.3% | 65.1% | 67.5% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 2.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 12.6% | 12.4% | 14.6% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 40.8% | 21.1% | 27.1% |
| Average people per household | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 7.9% | 2.2% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.7% | 3.2% | 4.1% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 33.8% | 32.0% | 36.4% |
| Couples without children | 43.4% | 56.3% | 48.1% |
| One-parent families | 22.8% | 11.6% | 15.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 54.3% | 87.3% | 78.4% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 72.6% | 76.0% | 74.4% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 20.3% | 10.7% | 14.0% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 13.1% | 7.0% | 9.6% |
Rents around Tāhunanui
New tenancies in Tahunanui in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $523 a week (up 0.6% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Nelson City ($555), and slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Tahunanui | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $523 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $471–$600 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +0.6% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 30 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Tāhunanui
One school site lies inside Tāhunanui: Tahunanui School (Contributing).
- Tahunanui School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Tahunanui School (0.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Nayland College (2.2 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Nelson Hospital (2.4 km)
School enrolment zones in Tāhunanui: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Tāhunanui's titles: Nayland College.
- Broadgreen Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Nayland 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
Places of worship near Tāhunanui
OpenStreetMap maps 1 place of worship inside Tāhunanui (1 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Saint Stephen's Community Church, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Nelson Islamic Cultural Society (NICS), 3.5 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Nelson City with many cross-leases
- Stoke: 474 cross-lease titles (6.3%)
- Nelson South: 204 cross-lease titles (8.4%)
- The Wood: 134 cross-lease titles (7.9%)
- Toi Toi: 117 cross-lease titles (11.6%)
- Washington Valley: 100 cross-lease titles (11.9%)
- Richmond: 94 cross-lease titles (1.1%)
- Annesbrook: 76 cross-lease titles (11.4%)
- Bishopdale: 59 cross-lease titles (12.9%)
Suburbs like Tāhunanui
The closest match on the measures on this site is Mayfield, Marlborough District in Marlborough District, nearest on land per flat, schools, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield, Marlborough District | Marlborough District | 11.8% | No data | 39.3 | land per flat, schools, elevation |
| Annesbrook | Nelson City | 11.4% | No data | 39.9 | median age, elevation, new titles |
| New Brighton | Christchurch City | 20.6% | $520 | 41.6 | distance to the coast, elevation, rent |
| Northcote, Christchurch City | Christchurch City | 19.5% | $525 | 39.5 | rent, population change, median age |
| Saint Leonards, Hastings District | Hastings District | 8.2% | $600 | 36.1 | home ownership, elevation, damp homes |
Questions
What is the rent in Tāhunanui?
New tenancies in Tahunanui (the rent area for part of Tāhunanui) had a median rent of $523 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 $471 to $600.
What schools are in Tāhunanui?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Tāhunanui: Tahunanui School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Nayland College (2.2 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Nayland College; check the school's own zone map for any address.