Living in Hilltop: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,491 live property titles in Hilltop, Taupo District are mostly freehold (57%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 370 (24.8%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 370
- Share of live titles
- 24.8%
- Live titles in total
- 1,491
- Taupo District share
- 11.8%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Taupo District
- 2 of 11
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 69 of 644
Hilltop at a glance
Where Hilltop differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: typical distance to the coast (higher than 98% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Hilltop is listed under Taupo District.
- 1,491 live titles are recorded here, including 370 cross-lease titles (24.8%).
- 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 24.8% 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 Hilltop
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 849 | 56.9% |
| Cross lease | 370 | 24.8% |
| Unit title | 169 | 11.3% |
| Leasehold | 89 | 6.0% |
| Other record types | 14 | 0.9% |
| Total | 1,491 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Hilltop compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Hilltop is about 2.9 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Taupo District as a whole, the share is 11.8%; Hilltop is about 2.1 times the overall Taupo District share (11.8%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd highest of 11 in Taupo District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Hilltop are set up
Three-flat schemes are less common here (1%, against 12% nationally).
Carports appear in fewer leases (3% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (3%, against 11% nationally), up to 12.
| Scheme structure | Hilltop | Taupo District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 184 | 1,564 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 95.1% | 87.9% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 1.1% | 7.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 2.7% | 4.7% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,011 m² | 1,012 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 506 m² | 506 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 14.7% | 24.6% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 2.7% | 5.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 9.2% | 9.8% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 56.5% | 56.0% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1993 | 1991 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 175 | 1,346 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Hilltop
Unit titles are 11% of Hilltop's titles, well above Taupo District (5%) and above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 8 developments, each run by a body corporate; 1 has 50 or more units.
The unit-title share is joint 2nd highest of 11 in Taupo District.
89 titles (6.0%) are leasehold, 81 of them units in a unit-title development, well above the national share (1.2%).
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 | 1 |
| More than 50 years left | 3 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 4 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 81 |
New titles in Hilltop since 2020
180 of Hilltop's current titles (12%) were first issued since 2020, close to Taupo District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (12%) and close to New Zealand (12%).
24% are unit titles, in 2 developments; the largest group among the rest is leasehold (80).
Most came recently: 162 since 2023.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 43 | 29 |
| Unit title | 43 | 43 |
| Cross-lease | 12 | 8 |
| Leasehold | 80 | 80 |
| Other | 2 | 2 |
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 Hilltop
The typical building in Hilltop stands on ground sloping 3.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 3rd steepest of 11 in Taupo District.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Hilltop
Hilltop is inland: the typical title is 99 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 Hilltop: 2023 Census
Hilltop's titles fall in 5 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 95% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More households have no car in Hilltop (Taupo District) than across Taupo District: 7.0% against 3.8%.
More residents are 65 or over in Hilltop (Taupo District) than across Taupo District: 26.5% against 20.6%.
More adults hold a degree in Hilltop (Taupo District) than across Taupo District: 21.8% against 17.9%.
| Measure | Hilltop (Taupo District) 57% of titles | Invergarry 37% of titles | Taupo District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,950 | 828 | 40,296 |
| Change since 2018 | +0.6% | +5.3% | +8.3% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.8% | +11.3% | +22.5% |
| Median age | 46 | 37.5 | 42.3 |
| Households | 693 | 288 | 14,799 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 78.4% | 69.8% | 70.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 21.6% | 29.2% | 29.6% |
| Median household income | $88,600 | $82,800 | $86,700 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $450 | $400 | $385 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 24.8% | 7.5% | 30.6% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 19.2% | 19.6% | 18.7% |
| 15 to 29 | 15.7% | 20.3% | 15.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 38.6% | 43.8% | 44.8% |
| 65 and over | 26.5% | 15.9% | 20.6% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 19.7% | 16.4% | 18.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 12.7% | 16.3% | 20.3% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 45.8% | 39.9% | 48.7% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 4.1% | 5.2% | 3.7% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 15.1% | 17.3% | 18.8% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 21.8% | 12.5% | 17.9% |
| Employed full-time | 44.6% | 54.3% | 49.6% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.7% | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 43.0% | 32.4% | 39.2% |
| Median personal income | $40,800 | $39,100 | $39,800 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 18.5% | 11.5% | 19.2% |
| Car, truck or van | 74.8% | 83.8% | 74.4% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 5.7% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 29.1% | 27.2% | 25.1% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 7.0% | 4.8% | 3.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.5% | 6.5% | 5.0% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 42.3% | 37.3% | 35.8% |
| Couples without children | 43.6% | 37.3% | 48.6% |
| One-parent families | 13.5% | 26.9% | 15.5% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 82.2% | 91.8% | 87.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.2 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 66.8% | 61.6% | 59.5% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 13.1% | 20.0% | 14.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 9.3% | 14.3% | 10.5% |
Rents around Hilltop
New tenancies in Hilltop (Taupo District) in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $650 a week (down 2.3% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Taupo District ($650), and slightly above the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Hilltop (Taupo District) 95% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $650 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $610–$660 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −2.3% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Hilltop
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside Hilltop, among them Hilltop School (Full Primary) and Lake Taupo Christian School (Composite).
- Hilltop School (Full Primary)
- Lake Taupo Christian School (Composite)
- Taupo Intermediate (Intermediate)
- Nearest school: Taupo Intermediate (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Lake Taupo Christian School (0.5 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Taupo Hospital (0.2 km)
School enrolment zones in Hilltop: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Hilltop's titles: Tauhara College.
- Tauhara School (primary, Years 1–6): about 40% of titles
- Hilltop School (primary, Years 1–8): about 60% of titles
- Taupo Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- Tauhara College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Taupo-nui-a-Tia College (secondary): about 40% 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 Hilltop
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Hilltop (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Kingdom Hall of Jehovas Witnesses, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Taupo Islamic Centre, 2.3 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Taupo District with many cross-leases
- Taupō: 1,504 cross-lease titles (27.7%)
- Nukuhau: 410 cross-lease titles (20.2%)
- Tauhara: 299 cross-lease titles (24.0%)
- Waipahihi: 153 cross-lease titles (17.4%)
- Tūrangi: 124 cross-lease titles (3.9%)
- Acacia Bay: 78 cross-lease titles (5.3%)
- Richmond Heights: 75 cross-lease titles (6.9%)
- Two Mile Bay: 73 cross-lease titles (17.2%)
Suburbs like Hilltop
The closest match on the measures on this site is Taupō in Taupo District, nearest on land per flat, rent, commuting by public transport. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taupō | Taupo District | 27.7% | $650 | 45.5 | land per flat, rent, commuting by public transport |
| Waipahihi | Taupo District | 17.4% | $660 | 47.2 | land per flat, distance to the coast, commuting by public transport |
| Two Mile Bay | Taupo District | 17.2% | $650 | 37.7 | unit-title share, rent, commuting by public transport |
| Nukuhau | Taupo District | 20.2% | $710 | 50.1 | home ownership, commuting by public transport, degrees |
| Rainbow Point | Taupo District | 17.3% | $650 | 37.7 | rent, commuting by public transport, distance to the coast |
Questions
What is the rent in Hilltop?
New tenancies in Hilltop (Taupo District) (the rent area for part of Hilltop) had a median rent of $650 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 $610 to $660.
What schools are in Hilltop?
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside Hilltop: Hilltop School, Lake Taupo Christian School and Taupo Intermediate. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Lake Taupo Christian School (0.5 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Tauhara College; check the school's own zone map for any address.