Living in Thames: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,856 live property titles in Thames, Thames-Coromandel District are almost all freehold (92%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 220 (5.7%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 220
- Share of live titles
- 5.7%
- Live titles in total
- 3,856
- Thames-Coromandel District share
- 4.8%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Thames-Coromandel District
- 2 of 5
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 459 of 644
Thames at a glance
Where Thames differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median age (higher 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
- Thames is listed under Thames-Coromandel District.
- 3,856 live titles are recorded here, including 220 cross-lease titles (5.7%).
- 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 5.7% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.1% 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 Thames
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 3,533 | 91.6% |
| Cross lease | 220 | 5.7% |
| Unit title | 3 | 0.1% |
| Leasehold | 49 | 1.3% |
| Other record types | 51 | 1.3% |
| Total | 3,856 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Thames compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Thames is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Thames-Coromandel District as a whole, the share is 4.8%; Thames is slightly higher than the overall Thames-Coromandel District share (4.8%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Thames are set up
Fewer leases include a garage (13% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
Carports appear in fewer leases (7% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (25%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
| Scheme structure | Thames | Thames-Coromandel District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 96 | 717 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 76.0% | 90.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 15.6% | 6.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 8.3% | 3.1% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 828 m² | 822 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 378 m² | 406 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 12.5% | 23.8% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.3% | 2.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 4.2% | 12.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 25.0% | 35.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1984 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 45 | 551 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Thames
49 titles (1.3%) are leasehold.
1 of them have a stated term that has ended or has under 10 years to run, which is worth reading closely in the lease.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 0 |
| Under 10 years left | 1 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 2 |
| More than 50 years left | 36 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 5 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 5 |
New titles in Thames since 2020
128 of Thames's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Thames-Coromandel District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (6%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is joint lowest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 112 | 57 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 4 | 4 |
| Leasehold | 7 | 2 |
| Other | 5 | 1 |
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 Thames
The typical building in Thames stands on ground sloping 2.1° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 2nd steepest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
The land rises from about 0 m to 662 m, and 62% 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 Thames
16% of Thames's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 41% within 500 m and 72% within 1 km. The typical title is 650 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 Thames: 2023 Census
Thames's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 95% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Thames South than across Thames-Coromandel District: 13.8% against 24.7%.
| Measure | Thames South 40% of titles | Thames North 26% of titles | Thames Central 19% of titles | Totora-Kopu 10% of titles | Thames-Coromandel District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,270 | 1,974 | 1,068 | 903 | 31,995 |
| Change since 2018 | −3.5% | −1.1% | +2.3% | −1.3% | +7.0% |
| Change since 2013 | +0.1% | −0.5% | +15.6% | +11.5% | +22.2% |
| Median age | 51.6 | 60 | 58.6 | 51.5 | 55.2 |
| Households | 1,308 | 861 | 522 | 342 | 12,876 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 67.4% | 77.4% | 56.2% | 85.1% | 77.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 32.6% | 22.3% | 43.8% | 14.9% | 22.5% |
| Median household income | $54,700 | $47,400 | $41,200 | $82,900 | $58,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $330 | $360 | $290 | $400 | $350 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 9.6% | 17.0% | 10.0% | 8.6% | 49.4% |
| Ages | |||||
| Under 15 | 16.2% | 11.2% | 9.3% | 15.9% | 13.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 13.3% | 10.2% | 12.4% | 12.3% | 11.0% |
| 30 to 64 | 38.7% | 37.5% | 38.2% | 41.2% | 41.5% |
| 65 and over | 31.7% | 41.2% | 39.9% | 30.6% | 33.8% |
| Where people came from | |||||
| Born overseas | 15.7% | 18.6% | 20.2% | 15.8% | 17.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 13.5% | 13.3% | 30.0% | 13.0% | 13.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 39.6% | 43.9% | 53.4% | 39.0% | 46.6% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.4% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.1% | 18.7% | 22.7% | 15.1% | 16.5% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 16.2% | 18.2% | 14.2% | 15.9% | 17.8% |
| Employed full-time | 35.4% | 32.1% | 27.9% | 44.3% | 36.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.4% | 2.1% | 3.1% | 1.2% | 2.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 38.8% | 38.6% | 37.2% | 41.3% | 42.4% |
| Median personal income | $28,600 | $28,800 | $27,100 | $34,000 | $30,000 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||||
| Work from home | 13.8% | 16.9% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 24.7% |
| Car, truck or van | 79.9% | 69.5% | 56.6% | 81.1% | 66.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Walk or cycle | 5.9% | 12.5% | 28.7% | 3.5% | 7.6% |
| Households and families | |||||
| One-person households | 31.5% | 41.5% | 51.5% | 20.5% | 29.6% |
| Average people per household | 2.3 | 2 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 5.7% | 8.1% | 20.1% | 0.0% | 4.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.2% | 1.8% | 3.3% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 28.6% | 23.4% | 25.3% | 30.9% | 26.3% |
| Couples without children | 50.5% | 59.5% | 56.0% | 54.3% | 61.6% |
| One-parent families | 21.3% | 17.7% | 18.7% | 13.8% | 12.1% |
| Homes | |||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 89.1% | 75.1% | 47.4% | 94.0% | 85.6% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 71.9% | 73.5% | 74.2% | 72.5% | 60.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.4% | 15.5% | 11.9% | 5.7% | 14.9% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 14.2% | 11.9% | 8.9% | 5.6% | 10.9% |
Rents around Thames
New tenancies in Thames South in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $600 a week (up 0.8% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Thames-Coromandel District ($590), and close to the national median ($600); 2nd highest of 4 in Thames-Coromandel District.
| April–June 2026 | Thames South 40% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $600 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $550–$645 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +0.8% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Thames
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Thames, among them Moanataiari School (Full Primary) and Pārāwai School (Full Primary).
- Moanataiari School (Full Primary)
- Pārāwai School (Full Primary)
- St Francis School (Thames) (Full Primary)
- Thames High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Thames South School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Pārāwai School (4.7 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Thames High School (5.4 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Thames Hospital (5.5 km)
Being near a school does not mean being in its zone: check its enrolment scheme. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Thames
OpenStreetMap maps 13 places of worship inside Thames (12 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Church of Christ, 4.6 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%)
- Whitianga: 170 cross-lease titles (3.8%)
- Pauanui: 125 cross-lease titles (4.5%)
- Tairua: 47 cross-lease titles (2.5%)
All suburbs in Thames-Coromandel District
Suburbs like Thames
The closest match on the measures on this site is Te Aroha in Matamata-Piako District, nearest on heat pumps, commuting by public transport, household income. 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 Aroha | Matamata-Piako District | 3.1% | $560 | 49.2 | heat pumps, commuting by public transport, household income |
| Te Kamo | Whangarei District | 9.3% | No data | 47.3 | commuting by public transport, distance to a hospital, working from home |
| Waiuku | Auckland | 8.6% | $615 | 42.5 | schools, distance to the coast, unit-title share |
| Whakatāne | Whakatane District | 15.8% | $615 | 45.7 | working from home, commuting by public transport, distance to the coast |
| Parkvale, Hastings District | Hastings District | 11.3% | No data | 46 | commuting by public transport, commuting on foot or by bike, children |
Questions
What is the rent in Thames?
New tenancies in Thames South (the rent area for part of Thames) had a median rent of $600 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 $550 to $645.
What schools are in Thames?
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Thames, including Moanataiari School, Pārāwai School and St Francis School (Thames). The nearest secondary school to its centre is Thames High School (5.4 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.