Living in Papakōwhai: schools, census and property titles
The 812 live property titles in Papakōwhai, Porirua City are almost all freehold (90%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 66 (8.1%), close to the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 66
- Share of live titles
- 8.1%
- Live titles in total
- 812
- Porirua City share
- 4.2%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Porirua City
- 4 of 9
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 379 of 644
Papakōwhai at a glance
Where Papakōwhai differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: titles first issued since 2020 (lower than 96% of NZ suburbs); median slope under buildings (higher 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
- Papakōwhai is listed under Porirua City.
- 812 live titles are recorded here, including 66 cross-lease titles (8.1%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 8.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.5% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- Public-transport figures describe how recorded titles sit near mapped stops. They do not describe a service from a particular property.
- 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
- A usable MBIE new-tenancy rent figure is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Papakōwhai
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 734 | 90.4% |
| Cross lease | 66 | 8.1% |
| Unit title | 4 | 0.5% |
| Leasehold | 4 | 0.5% |
| Other record types | 4 | 0.5% |
| Total | 812 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Papakōwhai compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Papakōwhai is close to the national share (8.7%).
Across Porirua City as a whole, the share is 4.2%; Papakōwhai is about 1.9 times the overall Porirua City share (4.2%).
How cross-leases in Papakōwhai are set up
Carports appear in fewer leases (3% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer leases include a garage (9% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are less common here (6%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Papakōwhai | Porirua City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 32 | 358 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 93.8% | 74.0% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 6.2% | 9.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 0.0% | 15.6% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 783 m² | 916 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 374 m² | 404 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 9.4% | 15.9% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 3.1% | 12.3% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 5.0% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 25.0% | 25.4% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1978 | 1987 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 22 | 206 | 54,978 |
New titles in Papakōwhai since 2020
18 of Papakōwhai's current titles (2%) were first issued since 2020, well below Porirua City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (11%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is joint lowest of 9 in Porirua City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 15 | 5 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 3 | 1 |
| 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 Papakōwhai
The typical building in Papakōwhai stands on ground sloping 7.9° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), joint 2nd steepest of 9 in Porirua City.
About 13% of its 921 measured buildings stand on ground of 15° or more.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Papakōwhai
12% of Papakōwhai's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 58% within 500 m and 100% within 1 km. The typical title is 440 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 Papakōwhai: 2023 Census
About 100% of Papakōwhai's titles are in the census area Papakōwhai (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Papakōwhai exactly.
Fewer households have no car in Papakōwhai than across Porirua City: 2.0% against 6.0%.
More adults hold a degree in Papakōwhai than across Porirua City: 34.3% against 27.2%.
More households own their home in Papakōwhai than across Porirua City: 84.1% against 66.9%.
| Measure | Papakōwhai | Porirua City whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,298 | 59,445 |
| Change since 2018 | +1.3% | +5.1% |
| Change since 2013 | +0.8% | +14.9% |
| Median age | 40 | 35.9 |
| Households | 756 | 19,020 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 84.1% | 66.9% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 16.3% | 33.0% |
| Median household income | $146,600 | $124,000 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $672 | $400 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 5.6% | 5.5% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 20.2% | 22.1% |
| 15 to 29 | 15.9% | 19.1% |
| 30 to 64 | 47.9% | 45.8% |
| 65 and over | 16.1% | 13.0% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 24.4% | 26.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 13.5% | 13.4% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 35.9% | 37.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.4% | 14.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 34.3% | 27.2% |
| Employed full-time | 58.4% | 54.8% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.0% | 3.6% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 53.2% | 48.2% |
| Median personal income | $55,900 | $47,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 19.4% | 18.3% |
| Car, truck or van | 61.5% | 65.8% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 14.9% | 13.0% |
| Walk or cycle | 3.6% | 2.0% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 13.7% | 16.6% |
| Average people per household | 2.9 | 3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.0% | 6.0% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 1.2% | 8.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 46.6% | 46.1% |
| Couples without children | 40.4% | 32.9% |
| One-parent families | 12.6% | 21.0% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 88.5% | 82.7% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 61.8% | 66.1% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 14.5% | 22.7% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 10.7% | 18.0% |
Schools and hospitals near Papakōwhai
One school site lies inside Papakōwhai: Papakowhai School (Full Primary).
- Papakowhai School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Papakowhai School (0.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Aotea College (1.3 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Kenepuru Hospital (4.3 km)
School enrolment zones in Papakōwhai: a guide
Three secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Papakōwhai's titles: Aotea College, Hutt International Boys School and St Oran's College.
- Papakowhai School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Paremata School (primary, Years 1–8): about 20% of titles
- Aotea College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Hutt International Boys School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Oran's 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
Public transport in Papakōwhai
100% of Papakōwhai's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, above Porirua City as a whole (75%).
24% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), well above the council (13%); 3rd highest of 9 in Porirua City.
41% are within 800 m of a train station or ferry wharf.
The typical title is 145 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.
Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Metlink (Greater Wellington Regional Council). Sources and limits
Places of worship near Papakōwhai
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Papakōwhai's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St John of the Cross, 1.2 km away
- Muslim: Porirua Mosque, 2.8 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Porirua City with many cross-leases
- Tītahi Bay: 223 cross-lease titles (7.3%)
- Whitby: 143 cross-lease titles (3.1%)
- Rānui: 134 cross-lease titles (10.5%)
- Camborne: 81 cross-lease titles (11.8%)
- Paremata: 79 cross-lease titles (7.0%)
- Plimmerton: 62 cross-lease titles (5.4%)
- Takapūwāhia: 58 cross-lease titles (11.7%)
- Pukerua Bay: 38 cross-lease titles (4.6%)
Suburbs like Papakōwhai
The closest match on the measures on this site is Paremata in Porirua City, nearest on schools, distance to the coast, recent movers within NZ. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paremata | Porirua City | 7.0% | $670 | 45.9 | schools, distance to the coast, recent movers within NZ |
| Pinehaven | Upper Hutt City | 4.8% | $590 | 40.2 | schools, children, median age |
| Maungaraki | Lower Hutt City | 13.1% | $600 | 38.4 | schools, distance to a hospital, population change |
| Silverstream | Upper Hutt City | 10.8% | $740 | 42.3 | damp homes, home ownership, population change |
| Kelson | Lower Hutt City | 7.8% | $660 | 36.8 | schools, home ownership, population change |
Questions
What schools are in Papakōwhai?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Papakōwhai: Papakowhai School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Aotea College (1.3 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles are Aotea College, Hutt International Boys School and St Oran's College; check the school's own zone map for any address.