Living in Waitara: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,532 live property titles in Waitara, New Plymouth District are almost all freehold (85%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 195 (5.5%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 195
- Share of live titles
- 5.5%
- Live titles in total
- 3,532
- New Plymouth District share
- 6.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in New Plymouth District
- 13 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 467 of 644
Waitara at a glance
Where Waitara differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (lower than 93% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Waitara is listed under New Plymouth District.
- 3,532 live titles are recorded here, including 195 cross-lease titles (5.5%).
- 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 5.5% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.1% 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 Waitara
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 3,006 | 85.1% |
| Cross lease | 195 | 5.5% |
| Unit title | 5 | 0.1% |
| Leasehold | 313 | 8.9% |
| Other record types | 13 | 0.4% |
| Total | 3,532 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Waitara compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Waitara is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across New Plymouth District as a whole, the share is 6.6%; Waitara is slightly lower than the overall New Plymouth District share (6.6%).
How cross-leases in Waitara are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (18%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (20%, against 11% nationally), up to 12.
Separate exclusive-use areas are more common (9% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Waitara | New Plymouth District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 76 | 1,094 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 69.7% | 66.6% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 10.5% | 17.6% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 19.7% | 15.8% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 770 m² | 809 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 326 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 27.6% | 38.9% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 10.5% | 15.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 9.2% | 7.8% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 18.4% | 27.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 21 | 430 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Waitara
313 titles (8.9%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
13 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 | 10 |
| Under 10 years left | 3 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 1 |
| More than 50 years left | 7 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 292 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 0 |
New titles in Waitara since 2020
274 of Waitara'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%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 187 | 107 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 8 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 78 | 35 |
| Other | 1 | 1 |
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 Waitara
The typical building in Waitara stands on ground sloping 1.1° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), the flattest of 18 in New Plymouth District.
Nearly all of its 5,078 measured buildings (94%) stand on ground under 5°.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Waitara
2% of Waitara's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 15% within 500 m and 37% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.2 km 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 Waitara: 2023 Census
Waitara's titles fall in 4 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 97% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Waitara West than across New Plymouth District: 7.1% against 20.7%.
Fewer residents were born overseas in Waitara West than across New Plymouth District: 7.1% against 17.1%.
Fewer workers work from home in Waitara West than across New Plymouth District: 8.6% against 16.8%.
| Measure | Waitara West 58% of titles | Waitara East 39% of titles | New Plymouth District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 4,218 | 3,294 | 87,000 |
| Change since 2018 | +5.2% | +9.9% | +7.8% |
| Change since 2013 | +14.9% | +16.3% | +17.3% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 38.7 | 40.7 |
| Households | 1,620 | 1,254 | 33,207 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 60.9% | 69.4% | 72.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 39.1% | 30.6% | 27.6% |
| Median household income | $60,300 | $72,600 | $86,400 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $340 | $326 | $380 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.5% | 4.6% | 6.9% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 20.1% | 19.4% | 19.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.9% | 19.4% | 16.3% |
| 30 to 64 | 39.9% | 40.1% | 44.3% |
| 65 and over | 19.1% | 21.1% | 19.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 7.1% | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 13.4% | 6.4% | 21.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 45.7% | 44.7% | 42.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.0% | 2.4% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 16.2% | 14.3% | 16.3% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 7.1% | 9.8% | 20.7% |
| Employed full-time | 42.4% | 47.5% | 48.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2.5% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 29.5% | 31.1% | 43.0% |
| Median personal income | $31,100 | $34,600 | $39,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 8.6% | 10.6% | 16.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 86.5% | 84.8% | 75.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 3.3% | 2.5% | 5.5% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 31.3% | 27.7% | 24.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 9.0% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 8.5% | 7.4% | 4.2% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 34.3% | 33.0% | 39.5% |
| Couples without children | 34.6% | 41.7% | 43.9% |
| One-parent families | 31.5% | 25.0% | 16.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 83.4% | 88.3% | 84.3% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.8 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 51.1% | 54.3% | 53.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 26.8% | 22.3% | 16.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 22.3% | 18.9% | 14.0% |
Rents around Waitara
New tenancies in Waitara West in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $500 a week (down 3.8% on a year earlier). That is slightly below the typical suburb in New Plymouth District ($553), and slightly below the national median ($600); the lowest of 16 in New Plymouth District.
| April–June 2026 | Waitara West 58% of titles | Waitara East 39% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $500 | $520 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $440–$570 | $480–$553 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −3.8% | −7.6% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 36 | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Waitara
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Waitara, among them Manukorihi Intermediate (Intermediate) and St Joseph's School (Waitara) (Full Primary).
- Manukorihi Intermediate (Intermediate)
- St Joseph's School (Waitara) (Full Primary)
- Waitara Central School (Contributing)
- Waitara East School (Contributing)
- Waitara High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Nearest school: Manukorihi Intermediate (0.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Waitara High School (0.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Taranaki Base Hospital (18.0 km)
School enrolment zones in Waitara: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Waitara's titles: Waitara High School.
- Huirangi School (primary, Years 1–6): about 15% of titles
- Tikorangi School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- Waitara High School (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 Waitara
OpenStreetMap maps 7 places of worship inside Waitara (4 Christian, 3 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Knox 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%)
- New Plymouth: 333 cross-lease titles (10.9%)
- Strandon: 231 cross-lease titles (18.5%)
- 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 Waitara
The closest match on the measures on this site is Tawhero in Whanganui District, nearest on slope, schools, household income. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tawhero | Whanganui District | 9.3% | $570 | 38.1 | slope, schools, household income |
| Spotswood, New Plymouth District | New Plymouth District | 10.9% | $580 | 36.9 | distance to the coast, commuting by public transport, population change |
| Castlecliff | Whanganui District | 5.1% | No data | 34.4 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, population change |
| Wanganui East | Whanganui District | 8.8% | $520 | 42.3 | household income, stand-alone houses, heat pumps |
| Foxton | Horowhenua District | 2.5% | $495 | 41.4 | unit-title share, stand-alone houses, rent |
Questions
What is the rent in Waitara?
New tenancies in Waitara West (the rent area for part of Waitara) had a median rent of $500 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 $440 to $570.
What schools are in Waitara?
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Waitara, including Manukorihi Intermediate, St Joseph's School (Waitara) and Waitara Central School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Waitara High School (0.6 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Waitara High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.