Living in New Plymouth: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,048 live property titles in New Plymouth, New Plymouth District are mostly freehold (73%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 333 (10.9%), above the national share of 8.7%.
New Plymouth cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 333
- Share of live titles
- 10.9%
- Live titles in total
- 3,048
- New Plymouth District share
- 6.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in New Plymouth District
- joint 8 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 305 of 644
New Plymouth at a glance
Where New Plymouth differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (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
- New Plymouth is listed under New Plymouth District.
- 3,048 live titles are recorded here, including 333 cross-lease titles (10.9%).
- 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 10.9% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 11.3% 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 New Plymouth
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,232 | 73.2% |
| Cross lease | 333 | 10.9% |
| Unit title | 343 | 11.3% |
| Leasehold | 80 | 2.6% |
| Other record types | 60 | 2.0% |
| Total | 3,048 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How New Plymouth compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; New Plymouth is higher than the national share (8.7%).
Across New Plymouth District as a whole, the share is 6.6%; New Plymouth is about 1.7 times the overall New Plymouth District share (6.6%).
How cross-leases in New Plymouth are set up
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (25%, against 11% nationally), up to 8.
Separate exclusive-use areas are more common (10% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
More leases include a garage (52% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | New Plymouth | New Plymouth District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 135 | 1,094 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 54.1% | 66.6% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 20.7% | 17.6% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 25.2% | 15.8% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 691 m² | 809 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 262 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 51.9% | 38.9% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 11.1% | 15.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 9.6% | 7.8% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 21.5% | 27.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 18 | 430 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in New Plymouth
Unit titles are 11% of New Plymouth's titles, well above New Plymouth District (2%) and above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 38 developments, each run by a body corporate; 1 has 50 or more units.
The unit-title share is the highest of 18 in New Plymouth District.
80 titles (2.6%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
5 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 | 3 |
| Under 10 years left | 2 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 5 |
| More than 50 years left | 59 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 9 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 2 |
New titles in New Plymouth since 2020
239 of New Plymouth's current titles (8%) were first issued since 2020, slightly below New Plymouth District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (9%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
31% are unit titles, in 3 developments; most of the rest are freehold.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 142 | 81 |
| Unit title | 74 | 74 |
| Cross-lease | 15 | 3 |
| Leasehold | 3 | 3 |
| Other | 5 | 4 |
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 New Plymouth
The typical building in New Plymouth stands on ground sloping 3.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Unusually much of the sloping land faces north: 42%, 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 New Plymouth
19% of New Plymouth's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 50% within 500 m and 97% within 1 km. The typical title is 500 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 New Plymouth: 2023 Census
New Plymouth's titles fall in 7 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 90% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More workers walk or cycle to work in New Plymouth Central than across New Plymouth District: 23.2% against 5.5%.
More households have no car in New Plymouth Central than across New Plymouth District: 14.4% against 5.3%.
Fewer homes are stand-alone houses in New Plymouth Central than across New Plymouth District: 41.1% against 84.3%.
| Measure | New Plymouth Central 42% of titles | Kawaroa 32% of titles | Welbourn 15% of titles | New Plymouth District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,140 | 2,367 | 3,330 | 87,000 |
| Change since 2018 | +2.7% | +1.7% | +1.6% | +7.8% |
| Change since 2013 | −1.0% | +3.3% | +10.4% | +17.3% |
| Median age | 44.2 | 43.8 | 41.3 | 40.7 |
| Households | 543 | 1,065 | 1,266 | 33,207 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 52.0% | 55.9% | 64.9% | 72.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 48.0% | 44.1% | 35.1% | 27.6% |
| Median household income | $72,400 | $77,400 | $90,300 | $86,400 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $390 | $390 | $400 | $380 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 13.1% | 8.6% | 7.3% | 6.9% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 12.6% | 15.1% | 17.6% | 19.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 16.8% | 16.3% | 18.2% | 16.3% |
| 30 to 64 | 47.1% | 45.1% | 44.3% | 44.3% |
| 65 and over | 23.7% | 23.6% | 19.8% | 19.6% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 24.2% | 24.2% | 20.6% | 17.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 46.7% | 31.2% | 30.0% | 21.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 50.8% | 46.5% | 44.9% | 42.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 6.2% | 5.0% | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 26.1% | 20.5% | 18.9% | 16.3% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 24.0% | 30.2% | 26.1% | 20.7% |
| Employed full-time | 45.2% | 48.4% | 45.7% | 48.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.9% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 43.9% | 47.1% | 45.4% | 43.0% |
| Median personal income | $38,800 | $40,000 | $38,500 | $39,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 16.2% | 13.9% | 15.4% | 16.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 57.6% | 66.6% | 68.8% | 75.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 23.2% | 16.3% | 12.8% | 5.5% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 38.7% | 34.6% | 26.2% | 24.7% |
| Average people per household | 2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 14.4% | 10.6% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 5.6% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.2% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 24.7% | 33.5% | 38.7% | 39.5% |
| Couples without children | 57.3% | 51.5% | 40.5% | 43.9% |
| One-parent families | 19.1% | 15.5% | 21.1% | 16.5% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 41.1% | 66.8% | 78.6% | 84.3% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 53.8% | 57.1% | 51.0% | 53.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 16.6% | 15.9% | 17.3% | 16.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 11.1% | 13.0% | 14.7% | 14.0% |
Rents around New Plymouth
New tenancies in New Plymouth Central in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $540 a week (up 8.4% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in New Plymouth District ($553), and slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | New Plymouth Central 42% of titles | Kawaroa 32% of titles | Welbourn 15% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $540 | $555 | $525 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $410–$625 | $450–$598 | $280–$625 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +8.4% | +2.8% | −2.8% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 24 | 39 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near New Plymouth
One school site lies inside New Plymouth: Central School Te Kura Waenga o Ngāmotu (Contributing).
- Central School Te Kura Waenga o Ngāmotu (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Central School Te Kura Waenga o Ngāmotu (0.7 km)
- Nearest secondary school: New Plymouth Boys' High School (1.4 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Taranaki Base Hospital (1.9 km)
School enrolment zones in New Plymouth: a guide
The largest primary-school zone share of New Plymouth's titles is in Central School's home zone (about 80%).
- Central School (primary, Years 1–6): about 80% of titles
- West End School (primary, Years 1–6): about 40% of titles
- Highlands Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 60% of 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 New Plymouth
OpenStreetMap maps 10 places of worship inside New Plymouth (10 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: New Plymouth Community Church, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in New Plymouth District with many cross-leases
- Westown: 386 cross-lease titles (14.5%)
- Strandon: 231 cross-lease titles (18.5%)
- Waitara: 195 cross-lease titles (5.5%)
- Fitzroy: 163 cross-lease titles (17.1%)
- Moturoa: 157 cross-lease titles (15.0%)
- Lower Vogeltown: 142 cross-lease titles (22.6%)
- Vogeltown: 133 cross-lease titles (16.6%)
All suburbs in New Plymouth District
Suburbs like New Plymouth
The closest match on the measures on this site is Strandon in New Plymouth District, nearest on slope, distance to the coast, population change. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strandon | New Plymouth District | 18.5% | $600 | 46.5 | slope, distance to the coast, population change |
| Moturoa | New Plymouth District | 15.0% | $530 | 45.3 | elevation, distance to the coast, distance to a hospital |
| Welbourn | New Plymouth District | 9.5% | $525 | 41.3 | population change, commuting by public transport, damp homes |
| Brooklands, New Plymouth District | New Plymouth District | 8.5% | $535 | 40.8 | schools, rent, distance to a hospital |
| Fitzroy, New Plymouth District | New Plymouth District | 17.1% | $570 | 42.6 | distance to the coast, working from home, elevation |
Questions
What is the rent in New Plymouth?
New tenancies in New Plymouth Central (the rent area for part of New Plymouth) had a median rent of $540 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 $410 to $625.
What schools are in New Plymouth?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside New Plymouth: Central School Te Kura Waenga o Ngāmotu. The nearest secondary school to its centre is New Plymouth Boys' High School (1.4 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.