Living in Wakatu: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 623 live property titles in Wakatu, Nelson City are mostly freehold (78%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 54 (8.7%), close to the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 54
- Share of live titles
- 8.7%
- Live titles in total
- 623
- Nelson City share
- 5.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Nelson City
- 6 of 15
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 359 of 644
Wakatu at a glance
Where Wakatu differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: titles first issued since 2020 (lower than 97% 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
- Wakatu is listed under Nelson City.
- 623 live titles are recorded here, including 54 cross-lease titles (8.7%).
- 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 8.7% 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 Wakatu
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 484 | 77.7% |
| Cross lease | 54 | 8.7% |
| Unit title | 0 | 0.0% |
| Leasehold | 83 | 13.3% |
| Other record types | 2 | 0.3% |
| Total | 623 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Wakatu compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Wakatu is close to the national share (8.7%).
Across Nelson City as a whole, the share is 5.3%; Wakatu is about 1.6 times the overall Nelson City share (5.3%).
How cross-leases in Wakatu are set up
Three-flat schemes are more common here (21%, against 12% nationally).
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (21%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
| Scheme structure | Wakatu | Nelson City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 24 | 795 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 66.7% | 69.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 20.8% | 15.3% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 12.5% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,023 m² | 840 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 436 m² | 381 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 33.3% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 12.5% | 8.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 1.9% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 20.8% | 24.4% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1991 | 1991 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 13 | 379 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Wakatu
83 titles (13.3%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
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 | 82 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 0 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 1 |
New titles in Wakatu since 2020
12 of Wakatu's current titles (2%) were first issued since 2020, well below Nelson City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is joint lowest of 13 in Nelson City.
Most came recently: 10 since 2023.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 12 | 10 |
| 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 Wakatu
The typical building in Wakatu stands on ground sloping 4.6° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Wakatu
Wakatu is inland: the typical title is 1.7 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 Wakatu: 2023 Census
About 64% of Wakatu's titles are in the census area Tahuna Hills (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Wakatu exactly.
Fewer households have no car in Tahuna Hills than across Nelson City: 2.2% against 5.6%.
More workers work from home in Tahuna Hills than across Nelson City: 19.7% against 14.8%.
Fewer people live alone in Tahuna Hills than across Nelson City: 21.1% against 27.1%.
| Measure | Tahuna Hills | Enner Glynn | Nelson City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,949 | 2,964 | 52,584 |
| Change since 2018 | +3.6% | +1.6% | +3.3% |
| Change since 2013 | +11.2% | +7.4% | +13.2% |
| Median age | 49.7 | 42.1 | 44 |
| Households | 1,137 | 1,137 | 20,577 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 75.7% | 77.0% | 71.2% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 24.3% | 23.0% | 28.8% |
| Median household income | $94,100 | $101,600 | $81,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $490 | $480 | $430 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 10.4% | 5.7% | 7.4% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 14.9% | 16.3% | 16.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 12.9% | 17.7% | 15.6% |
| 30 to 64 | 46.4% | 49.5% | 46.2% |
| 65 and over | 25.9% | 16.5% | 21.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 26.4% | 22.9% | 26.5% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 21.8% | 21.4% | 22.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 39.5% | 39.0% | 43.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 6.1% | 4.2% | 5.0% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 19.0% | 17.2% | 18.2% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 31.7% | 25.9% | 26.8% |
| Employed full-time | 45.5% | 54.7% | 47.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 50.6% | 40.2% | 42.2% |
| Median personal income | $42,100 | $45,400 | $38,800 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 19.7% | 14.1% | 14.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 65.1% | 74.0% | 67.5% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 12.4% | 9.0% | 14.6% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 21.1% | 20.6% | 27.1% |
| Average people per household | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.2% | 2.5% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 3.2% | 4.0% | 4.1% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 32.0% | 37.3% | 36.4% |
| Couples without children | 56.3% | 47.6% | 48.1% |
| One-parent families | 11.6% | 15.1% | 15.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 87.3% | 91.1% | 78.4% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 76.0% | 72.7% | 74.4% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 10.7% | 13.9% | 14.0% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 7.0% | 11.0% | 9.6% |
Rents around Wakatu
New tenancies in Tahuna Hills in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $568 a week (down 11.2% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Nelson City ($555), and close to the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Tahuna Hills | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $568 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $513–$660 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −11.2% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 18 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Wakatu
No school site lies inside Wakatu's boundary; the nearest is Enner Glynn School, 0.8 km away in a straight line.
- Nearest school: Enner Glynn School (0.8 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Nayland College (1.9 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Nelson Hospital (2.1 km)
School enrolment zones in Wakatu: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Wakatu's titles: Nayland College.
- Enner Glynn School (primary, Years 1–6): about 35% of titles
- 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 Wakatu
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Wakatu's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Nelson Bays Church / Christfirst Church, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Nelson Islamic Cultural Society (NICS), 3.7 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%)
- Tāhunanui: 257 cross-lease titles (12.4%)
- 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%)
Suburbs like Wakatu
The closest match on the measures on this site is Atawhai in Nelson City, nearest on schools, household income, unit-title share. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atawhai | Nelson City | 2.5% | $610 | 51.1 | schools, household income, unit-title share |
| Redcliffs | Christchurch City | 13.6% | No data | 52 | born overseas, population change, elevation |
| Opawa | Christchurch City | 13.0% | No data | 47.6 | population change, home ownership, distance to the coast |
| Heathcote Valley | Christchurch City | 7.6% | No data | 47.7 | children, distance to the coast, population change |
| Witherlea | Marlborough District | 14.5% | $595 | 46.8 | unit-title share, distance to a hospital, older residents |
Questions
What is the rent in Wakatu?
New tenancies in Tahuna Hills (the rent area for part of Wakatu) had a median rent of $568 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 $513 to $660.
What schools are in Wakatu?
No school site lies inside Wakatu's boundary. The nearest school is Enner Glynn School (0.8 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.