Living in Tairua: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,845 live property titles in Tairua, Thames-Coromandel District are almost all freehold (90%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 47 (2.5%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 47
- Share of live titles
- 2.5%
- Live titles in total
- 1,845
- Thames-Coromandel District share
- 4.8%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Thames-Coromandel District
- 5 of 5
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 596 of 644
Tairua at a glance
Where Tairua differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median age (higher than 99% of NZ suburbs); typical distance to the coast (lower than 95% of NZ suburbs); median weekly rent, new tenancies (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
- Tairua is listed under Thames-Coromandel District.
- 1,845 live titles are recorded here, including 47 cross-lease titles (2.5%).
- 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 2.5% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 6.4% 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 Tairua
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,659 | 89.9% |
| Cross lease | 47 | 2.5% |
| Unit title | 119 | 6.4% |
| Leasehold | 11 | 0.6% |
| Other record types | 9 | 0.5% |
| Total | 1,845 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Tairua compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Tairua is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Thames-Coromandel District as a whole, the share is 4.8%; Tairua is well below the overall Thames-Coromandel District share (4.8%).
Its cross-lease share is the lowest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Tairua are set up
Carports appear in fewer leases (4% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are less common here (4%, against 12% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are more common (8% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Tairua | Thames-Coromandel District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 25 | 717 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 96.0% | 90.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 4.0% | 6.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 0.0% | 3.1% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 931 m² | 822 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 466 m² | 406 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 24.0% | 23.8% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 4.0% | 2.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 8.0% | 12.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 28.0% | 35.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1991 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 24 | 551 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Tairua
Unit titles are 6% of Tairua's titles, well above Thames-Coromandel District (3%) and below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 9 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 10 units or fewer.
The unit-title share is 2nd highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
11 titles (0.6%) are leasehold, 10 of them units in a unit-title development.
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 | 1 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 0 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 10 |
New titles in Tairua since 2020
104 of Tairua's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, close to Thames-Coromandel District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (6%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is 2nd highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 96 | 70 |
| Unit title | 7 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 1 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 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 Tairua
The typical building in Tairua stands on ground sloping 3.6° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), the steepest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
About 17% of its 2,098 measured buildings stand on ground of 15° or more.
The land rises from about 0 m to 208 m, and 37% 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 Tairua
58% of Tairua's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 95% within 500 m and 100% within 1 km. The typical title is 160 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 Tairua: 2023 Census
About 100% of Tairua's titles are in the census area Tairua (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Tairua exactly.
More residents were born overseas in Tairua than across Thames-Coromandel District: 21.7% against 17.0%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Tairua than across Thames-Coromandel District: 9.7% against 7.6%.
More adults hold a degree in Tairua than across Thames-Coromandel District: 22.4% against 17.8%.
| Measure | Tairua | Thames-Coromandel District whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,653 | 31,995 |
| Change since 2018 | +11.8% | +7.0% |
| Change since 2013 | +34.7% | +22.2% |
| Median age | 59.1 | 55.2 |
| Households | 663 | 12,876 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 81.9% | 77.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 19.0% | 22.5% |
| Median household income | $56,100 | $58,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $338 | $350 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 55.4% | 49.4% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 12.9% | 13.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 8.2% | 11.0% |
| 30 to 64 | 40.1% | 41.5% |
| 65 and over | 39.0% | 33.8% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 21.7% | 17.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 17.1% | 13.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 47.8% | 46.6% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 4.2% | 3.1% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 16.6% | 16.5% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 22.4% | 17.8% |
| Employed full-time | 29.7% | 36.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 47.1% | 42.4% |
| Median personal income | $29,100 | $30,000 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 29.1% | 24.7% |
| Car, truck or van | 59.9% | 66.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.7% | 7.6% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 28.2% | 29.6% |
| Average people per household | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.2% | 3.3% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 26.3% | 26.3% |
| Couples without children | 64.5% | 61.6% |
| One-parent families | 9.2% | 12.1% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 88.8% | 85.6% |
| Average bedrooms | 3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 62.2% | 60.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 16.2% | 14.9% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 11.7% | 10.9% |
Rents around Tairua
New tenancies in Tairua in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $458 a week. That is below the typical suburb in Thames-Coromandel District ($590), and below the national median ($600); the lowest of 4 in Thames-Coromandel District.
| April–June 2026 | Tairua | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $458 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $450–$561 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | — | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Tairua
One school site lies inside Tairua: Tairua School (Full Primary).
- Tairua School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Tairua School (1.5 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Mercury Bay Area School (21.7 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Thames Hospital (30.0 km)
School enrolment zones in Tairua: a guide
The largest school zone share of Tairua's titles is in Whangamata Area School's home zone (all or nearly all).
- Whangamata Area School (Year 9-13) (composite): 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 Tairua
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Tairua (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Tairua Elim Church, 1.2 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Thames-Coromandel District with many cross-leases
- Whangamatā: 800 cross-lease titles (15.3%)
- Thames: 220 cross-lease titles (5.7%)
- Whitianga: 170 cross-lease titles (3.8%)
- Pauanui: 125 cross-lease titles (4.5%)
All suburbs in Thames-Coromandel District
Suburbs like Tairua
The closest match on the measures on this site is Pauanui in Thames-Coromandel District, nearest on commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, born overseas. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pauanui | Thames-Coromandel District | 4.5% | No data | 61.8 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, born overseas |
| Waihi Beach | Western Bay of Plenty District | 4.1% | $620 | 58.8 | commuting by public transport, schools, distance to the coast |
| Whangamatā | Thames-Coromandel District | 15.3% | $640 | 59.9 | household income, distance to the coast, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Foxton Beach | Horowhenua District | 2.3% | $500 | 57.2 | schools, cross-lease share, population change |
| Whitianga | Thames-Coromandel District | 3.8% | $580 | 52.9 | schools, distance to the coast, household income |
Questions
What is the rent in Tairua?
New tenancies in the Tairua rent area had a median rent of $458 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 $450 to $561.
What schools are in Tairua?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Tairua: Tairua School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Mercury Bay Area School (21.7 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.