Living in Taumarunui: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,618 live property titles in Taumarunui, Ruapehu District are almost all freehold (96%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 61 (2.3%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 61
- Share of live titles
- 2.3%
- Live titles in total
- 2,618
- Ruapehu District share
- 1.9%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Ruapehu District
- 2 of 2
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 607 of 644
Taumarunui at a glance
Where Taumarunui differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 97% of NZ suburbs); typical distance to the coast (higher than 97% of NZ suburbs); cross-lease share of titles (lower than 94% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Taumarunui is listed under Ruapehu District.
- 2,618 live titles are recorded here, including 61 cross-lease titles (2.3%).
- 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 2.3% 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 Taumarunui
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,523 | 96.4% |
| Cross lease | 61 | 2.3% |
| Unit title | 0 | 0.0% |
| Leasehold | 27 | 1.0% |
| Other record types | 7 | 0.3% |
| Total | 2,618 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Taumarunui compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Taumarunui is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Ruapehu District as a whole, the share is 1.9%; Taumarunui is higher than the overall Ruapehu District share (1.9%), though both are small.
How cross-leases in Taumarunui are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (13%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (26%, against 11% nationally), up to 11.
Three-flat schemes are more common here (17%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Taumarunui | Ruapehu District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 23 | 85 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 56.5% | 56.5% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 17.4% | 22.4% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 26.1% | 20.0% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,027 m² | 870 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 382 m² | 347 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 21.7% | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 17.4% | 16.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 2.4% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 13.0% | 30.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1988 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 8 | 30 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Taumarunui
27 titles (1.0%) are leasehold.
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 | 2 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 23 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 2 |
New titles in Taumarunui since 2020
87 of Taumarunui's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Ruapehu District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (6%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 80 | 50 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 4 | 3 |
| Other | 3 | 3 |
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 Taumarunui
The typical building in Taumarunui stands on ground sloping 1.5° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
The land rises from about 130 m to 572 m, and 67% of all of it, including reserves and gullies, is 15° or steeper.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Taumarunui
Taumarunui is inland: the typical title is 58 km from the sea or harbour edge, and fewer than 1 in 2,000 titles are 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 Taumarunui: 2023 Census
Taumarunui's titles fall in 5 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 98% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More households have no car in Taumarunui Central than across Ruapehu District: 13.2% against 5.6%.
Fewer workers work from home in Taumarunui Central than across Ruapehu District: 17.3% against 25.0%.
Household incomes are lower in Taumarunui Central than across Ruapehu District: $47,600 against $66,000.
| Measure | Taumarunui Central 39% of titles | Taumarunui North 30% of titles | Taumarunui East 17% of titles | Ngapuke 12% of titles | Ruapehu District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,542 | 1,656 | 1,623 | 1,353 | 13,095 |
| Change since 2018 | +3.8% | −1.3% | +5.0% | +7.1% | +6.4% |
| Change since 2013 | +5.8% | +5.7% | +13.9% | +4.4% | +10.6% |
| Median age | 44.8 | 40.7 | 37.7 | 45.3 | 39 |
| Households | 675 | 633 | 615 | 528 | 5,145 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 55.1% | 62.1% | 63.4% | 74.6% | 61.7% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 44.9% | 38.4% | 36.6% | 24.9% | 38.4% |
| Median household income | $47,600 | $55,900 | $50,100 | $79,400 | $66,000 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $258 | $290 | $290 | $200 | $240 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 13.8% | 12.8% | 11.9% | 16.7% | 31.5% |
| Ages | |||||
| Under 15 | 19.5% | 21.4% | 22.2% | 19.1% | 21.4% |
| 15 to 29 | 16.1% | 16.5% | 18.5% | 14.6% | 16.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 40.3% | 38.8% | 40.3% | 45.0% | 43.4% |
| 65 and over | 24.3% | 23.4% | 19.0% | 21.3% | 18.3% |
| Where people came from | |||||
| Born overseas | 10.5% | 13.5% | 8.1% | 7.0% | 11.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 23.1% | 16.7% | 14.6% | 12.9% | 21.0% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 44.6% | 43.4% | 47.5% | 41.8% | 48.2% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.6% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 18.3% | 15.7% | 16.3% | 12.1% | 18.3% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 10.7% | 10.7% | 8.2% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| Employed full-time | 38.3% | 40.6% | 36.3% | 50.7% | 48.8% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 5.1% | 4.1% | 6.9% | 3.0% | 3.6% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 37.6% | 31.3% | 30.8% | 45.6% | 39.4% |
| Median personal income | $28,100 | $28,800 | $27,500 | $37,200 | $33,800 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||||
| Work from home | 17.3% | 10.4% | 16.7% | 34.7% | 25.0% |
| Car, truck or van | 73.3% | 83.5% | 80.3% | 61.1% | 66.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.4% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 2.1% | 7.2% |
| Households and families | |||||
| One-person households | 41.3% | 34.8% | 31.7% | 23.3% | 30.9% |
| Average people per household | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 13.2% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 2.0% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 5.8% | 5.5% | 9.7% | 5.0% | 5.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 30.2% | 30.8% | 27.1% | 35.0% | 35.5% |
| Couples without children | 43.1% | 44.6% | 33.9% | 48.8% | 43.9% |
| One-parent families | 26.7% | 24.6% | 38.1% | 15.4% | 20.5% |
| Homes | |||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 79.7% | 92.5% | 93.2% | 93.3% | 87.6% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 70.3% | 69.4% | 58.1% | 47.0% | 47.0% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 26.5% | 22.3% | 32.5% | 20.5% | 25.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 21.2% | 17.2% | 25.3% | 13.1% | 17.9% |
Rents around Taumarunui
New tenancies in Taumarunui Central in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $400 a week (down 11.1% on a year earlier). That is well below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Taumarunui Central 39% of titles | Taumarunui North 30% of titles | Taumarunui East 17% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $400 | $440 | $450 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $393–$450 | $420–$480 | $418–$476 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −11.1% | −2.2% | −2.2% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 27 | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Taumarunui
LINZ maps 6 school sites inside Taumarunui, among them St Patrick's Catholic School (Taumarunui) (Full Primary) and Tarrangower School (Full Primary).
- St Patrick's Catholic School (Taumarunui) (Full Primary)
- Tarrangower School (Full Primary)
- Taumarunui High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Taumarunui Primary School (Full Primary)
- Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarunui (Composite)
- Turaki School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarunui (2.2 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarunui (2.2 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Taumarunui Hospital (4.2 km)
Being near a school does not mean being in its zone: check its enrolment scheme. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Taumarunui
OpenStreetMap maps 6 places of worship inside Taumarunui (6 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Taumarunui Baptist Church, 1.9 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Taumarunui
The closest match on the measures on this site is Te Kūiti in Waitomo District, nearest on schools, unit-title share, cross-lease 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Te Kūiti | Waitomo District | 2.5% | $498 | 38.5 | schools, unit-title share, cross-lease share |
| Masterton | Masterton District | 4.3% | $500 | 43.3 | heat pumps, older residents, unit-title share |
| Putāruru | South Waikato District | 2.5% | $530 | 43.1 | unit-title share, commuting by public transport, population change |
| Feilding | Manawatu District | 4.3% | $520 | 40.8 | unit-title share, schools, commuting by public transport |
| Ōtorohanga | Ōtorohanga District | 1.7% | $525 | 36.8 | commuting by public transport, degrees, heat pumps |
Questions
What is the rent in Taumarunui?
New tenancies in Taumarunui Central (the rent area for part of Taumarunui) had a median rent of $400 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 $393 to $450.
What schools are in Taumarunui?
LINZ maps 6 school sites inside Taumarunui, including St Patrick's Catholic School (Taumarunui), Tarrangower School and Taumarunui High School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarunui (2.2 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.