Living in Whangamatā: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 5,224 live property titles in Whangamatā, Thames-Coromandel District are mostly freehold (79%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 800 (15.3%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 800
- Share of live titles
- 15.3%
- Live titles in total
- 5,224
- Thames-Coromandel District share
- 4.8%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Thames-Coromandel District
- 1 of 5
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 199 of 644
Whangamatā at a glance
Where Whangamatā differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median age (higher than 99% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Whangamatā is listed under Thames-Coromandel District.
- 5,224 live titles are recorded here, including 800 cross-lease titles (15.3%).
- 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 15.3% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 3.9% 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 Whangamatā
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 4,132 | 79.1% |
| Cross lease | 800 | 15.3% |
| Unit title | 204 | 3.9% |
| Leasehold | 52 | 1.0% |
| Other record types | 36 | 0.7% |
| Total | 5,224 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Whangamatā compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Whangamatā is about 1.8 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Thames-Coromandel District as a whole, the share is 4.8%; Whangamatā is about 3.2 times the overall Thames-Coromandel District share (4.8%).
Its cross-lease share is the highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Whangamatā are set up
Carports appear in fewer leases (2% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (3%, against 11% nationally), up to 18.
Separate exclusive-use areas are more common (15% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Whangamatā | Thames-Coromandel District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 402 | 717 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 92.0% | 90.7% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 5.0% | 6.0% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 2.7% | 3.1% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 817 m² | 822 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 406 m² | 406 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 26.6% | 23.8% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 2.0% | 2.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 15.2% | 12.1% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 41.8% | 35.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1990 | 1990 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 339 | 551 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Whangamatā
Unit titles are 4% of Whangamatā's titles, above Thames-Coromandel District (3%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 23 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 4 units or fewer.
The unit-title share is 3rd highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
52 titles (1.0%) are leasehold, 6 of them units in a unit-title development.
6 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 | 3 |
| Under 10 years left | 3 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 4 |
| More than 50 years left | 27 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 2 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 13 |
New titles in Whangamatā since 2020
209 of Whangamatā's current titles (4%) 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 3rd highest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
30 are cross-lease titles, often re-issued when a flats plan is updated.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 156 | 70 |
| Unit title | 10 | 4 |
| Cross-lease | 30 | 21 |
| Leasehold | 6 | 3 |
| Other | 7 | 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 Whangamatā
The typical building in Whangamatā stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 2nd flattest of 5 in Thames-Coromandel District.
Nearly all of its 6,999 measured buildings (91%) stand on ground under 5°.
The land rises from about 0 m to 589 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 Whangamatā
22% of Whangamatā's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 62% within 500 m and 88% within 1 km. The typical title is 390 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 Whangamatā: 2023 Census
About 85% of Whangamatā's titles are in the census area Whangamatā East (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Whangamatā exactly.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Whangamatā East than across Thames-Coromandel District: 9.9% against 7.6%.
Fewer residents were born overseas in Whangamatā East than across Thames-Coromandel District: 13.5% against 17.0%.
Fewer residents are children under 15 in Whangamatā East than across Thames-Coromandel District: 11.1% against 13.6%.
| Measure | Whangamatā East | Whangamatā West | Thames-Coromandel District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,213 | 1,053 | 31,995 |
| Change since 2018 | +4.8% | +4.5% | +7.0% |
| Change since 2013 | +24.8% | +12.1% | +22.2% |
| Median age | 59.9 | 58.8 | 55.2 |
| Households | 1,410 | 417 | 12,876 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 79.4% | 88.5% | 77.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 20.6% | 11.5% | 22.5% |
| Median household income | $56,200 | $63,500 | $58,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $400 | $420 | $350 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 64.4% | 28.7% | 49.4% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 11.1% | 15.4% | 13.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 10.3% | 6.8% | 11.0% |
| 30 to 64 | 38.5% | 36.8% | 41.5% |
| 65 and over | 40.1% | 41.0% | 33.8% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 13.5% | 16.0% | 17.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 12.1% | 10.7% | 13.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 49.1% | 41.9% | 46.6% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 15.7% | 15.2% | 16.5% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 17.2% | 17.3% | 17.8% |
| Employed full-time | 32.4% | 34.7% | 36.1% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 39.5% | 42.2% | 42.4% |
| Median personal income | $30,700 | $29,800 | $30,000 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 24.4% | 25.2% | 24.7% |
| Car, truck or van | 64.6% | 67.3% | 66.6% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.9% | 6.8% | 7.6% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 30.7% | 24.4% | 29.6% |
| Average people per household | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.8% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.9% | 0.8% | 3.3% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 20.5% | 31.0% | 26.3% |
| Couples without children | 68.5% | 61.0% | 61.6% |
| One-parent families | 10.6% | 9.0% | 12.1% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 86.3% | 90.8% | 85.6% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 65.0% | 64.2% | 60.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 11.4% | 9.1% | 14.9% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 8.1% | 6.9% | 10.9% |
Rents around Whangamatā
New tenancies in Whangamata in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $640 a week (up 10.3% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Thames-Coromandel District ($590), and close to the national median ($600); the highest of 4 in Thames-Coromandel District.
| April–June 2026 | Whangamata | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $640 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $550–$713 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +10.3% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 24 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Whangamatā
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Whangamatā, among them Whangamata Area School (Composite) and Ōpoutere School (Full Primary).
- Whangamata Area School (Composite)
- Ōpoutere School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Whangamata Area School (6.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Whangamata Area School (6.3 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Thames Hospital (23.8 km)
School enrolment zones in Whangamatā: a guide
The largest school zone share of Whangamatā'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
- Whangamata Area School (Year 1-8) (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 Whangamatā
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Whangamatā (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St Patrick Catholic Church, 6.2 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
- Thames: 220 cross-lease titles (5.7%)
- 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 Whangamatā
The closest match on the measures on this site is Pauanui in Thames-Coromandel District, nearest on recent movers within NZ, degrees, distance to the coast. 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 | recent movers within NZ, degrees, distance to the coast |
| Waihi Beach | Western Bay of Plenty District | 4.1% | $620 | 58.8 | distance to the coast, land per flat, home ownership |
| Tairua | Thames-Coromandel District | 2.5% | $458 | 59.1 | household income, distance to the coast, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Whitianga | Thames-Coromandel District | 3.8% | $580 | 52.9 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, household income |
| Waikanae | Kapiti Coast District | 12.6% | $670 | 59.9 | median age, slope, schools |
Questions
What is the rent in Whangamatā?
New tenancies in Whangamata (the rent area for part of Whangamatā) had a median rent of $640 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 $713.
What schools are in Whangamatā?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Whangamatā: Whangamata Area School and Ōpoutere School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Whangamata Area School (6.3 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.