Living in Westown: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,668 live property titles in Westown, New Plymouth District are almost all freehold (84%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 386 (14.5%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 386
- Share of live titles
- 14.5%
- Live titles in total
- 2,668
- New Plymouth District share
- 6.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in New Plymouth District
- 6 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 219 of 644
Westown at a glance
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Westown is listed under New Plymouth District.
- 2,668 live titles are recorded here, including 386 cross-lease titles (14.5%).
- 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 14.5% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.7% 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 Westown
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,240 | 84.0% |
| Cross lease | 386 | 14.5% |
| Unit title | 18 | 0.7% |
| Leasehold | 18 | 0.7% |
| Other record types | 6 | 0.2% |
| Total | 2,668 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Westown compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Westown is about 1.7 times the national share (8.7%).
Across New Plymouth District as a whole, the share is 6.6%; Westown is about 2.2 times the overall New Plymouth District share (6.6%).
How cross-leases in Westown are set up
More leases include a garage (45% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are more common here (18%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Westown | New Plymouth District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 160 | 1,094 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 70.6% | 66.6% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 17.5% | 17.6% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 11.9% | 15.8% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 809 m² | 809 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 337 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 45.0% | 38.9% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 13.1% | 15.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 5.0% | 7.8% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 30.0% | 27.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1987 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 63 | 430 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Westown
18 titles (0.7%) are leasehold.
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 | 17 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 1 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 0 |
New titles in Westown since 2020
137 of Westown's current titles (5%) were first issued since 2020, well 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 | 128 | 67 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 8 | 6 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 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 Westown
The typical building in Westown stands on ground sloping 3.0° (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 Westown
0% of Westown's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 0% within 500 m and 1% within 1 km. The typical title is 2.0 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 Westown: 2023 Census
About 72% of Westown's titles are in the census area Westown (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Westown exactly.
More households have no car in Westown than across New Plymouth District: 9.8% against 5.3%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Westown than across New Plymouth District: 8.0% against 5.5%.
Fewer workers work from home in Westown than across New Plymouth District: 11.9% against 16.8%.
| Measure | Westown | Hurdon | New Plymouth District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 4,683 | 2,559 | 87,000 |
| Change since 2018 | +6.3% | +13.0% | +7.8% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.8% | +20.3% | +17.3% |
| Median age | 38 | 40.9 | 40.7 |
| Households | 1,848 | 960 | 33,207 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 62.2% | 80.6% | 72.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 37.6% | 19.4% | 27.6% |
| Median household income | $70,300 | $96,900 | $86,400 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $370 | $450 | $380 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.4% | 5.3% | 6.9% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.6% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| 30 to 64 | 41.6% | 45.8% | 44.3% |
| 65 and over | 21.1% | 18.6% | 19.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 18.0% | 22.1% | 17.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 25.6% | 22.0% | 21.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 44.4% | 39.2% | 42.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.5% | 4.6% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 19.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 19.3% | 25.6% | 20.7% |
| Employed full-time | 45.1% | 50.7% | 48.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.0% | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 38.5% | 45.3% | 43.0% |
| Median personal income | $35,400 | $42,200 | $39,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 11.9% | 13.2% | 16.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 77.7% | 80.3% | 75.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 8.0% | 4.3% | 5.5% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 32.2% | 20.4% | 24.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 9.8% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 6.8% | 2.6% | 4.2% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 36.8% | 41.1% | 39.5% |
| Couples without children | 40.0% | 43.5% | 43.9% |
| One-parent families | 23.2% | 14.9% | 16.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 79.1% | 91.9% | 84.3% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 57.0% | 58.5% | 53.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.5% | 12.6% | 16.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 16.3% | 11.5% | 14.0% |
Rents around Westown
New tenancies in Westown in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $550 a week (down 8.3% 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 | Westown | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $550 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $313–$603 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −8.3% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 39 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Westown
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Westown, among them Francis Douglas Memorial College (Secondary (Year 7-15)) and Westown School (Contributing).
- Francis Douglas Memorial College (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- Westown School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Westown School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Francis Douglas Memorial College (1.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Taranaki Base Hospital (0.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Westown: a guide
The largest primary-school zone share of Westown's titles is in Woodleigh School's home zone (about 15%).
- Woodleigh School (primary, Years 1–6): about 15% of titles
- Frankley School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
- West End School (primary, Years 1–6): about 10% of titles
About 65% of Westown's titles are outside every mapped home zone.
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 Westown
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Westown (2 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Saint Chads Anglican 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
- New Plymouth: 333 cross-lease titles (10.9%)
- 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 Westown
The closest match on the measures on this site is Spotswood, New Plymouth District in New Plymouth District, nearest on population change, unit-title share, working from home. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotswood, New Plymouth District | New Plymouth District | 10.9% | $580 | 36.9 | population change, unit-title share, working from home |
| Lynmouth | New Plymouth District | 13.5% | $580 | 35.3 | schools, land per flat, new titles |
| Brooklands, New Plymouth District | New Plymouth District | 8.5% | $535 | 40.8 | population change, distance to the coast, commuting by public transport |
| Blagdon | New Plymouth District | 9.0% | $580 | 35.3 | born overseas, unit-title share, commuting by public transport |
| Moturoa | New Plymouth District | 15.0% | $530 | 45.3 | schools, degrees, unit-title share |
Questions
What is the rent in Westown?
New tenancies in the Westown rent area had a median rent of $550 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 $313 to $603.
What schools are in Westown?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Westown: Francis Douglas Memorial College and Westown School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Francis Douglas Memorial College (1.0 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.