Living in Geraldine: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,858 live property titles in Geraldine, Timaru District are almost all freehold (94%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 98 (5.3%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 98
- Share of live titles
- 5.3%
- Live titles in total
- 1,858
- Timaru District share
- 6.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Timaru District
- 9 of 12
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 479 of 644
Geraldine at a glance
Where Geraldine differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median age (higher than 96% of NZ suburbs); median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 92% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Geraldine is listed under Timaru District.
- 1,858 live titles are recorded here, including 98 cross-lease titles (5.3%).
- 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 5.3% 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 Geraldine
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,750 | 94.2% |
| Cross lease | 98 | 5.3% |
| Unit title | 2 | 0.1% |
| Leasehold | 5 | 0.3% |
| Other record types | 3 | 0.2% |
| Total | 1,858 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Geraldine compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Geraldine is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Timaru District as a whole, the share is 6.3%; Geraldine is slightly lower than the overall Timaru District share (6.3%).
How cross-leases in Geraldine are set up
Three-flat schemes are more common here (28%, against 12% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (3% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (8%, against 11% nationally), up to 39.
| Scheme structure | Geraldine | Timaru District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 39 | 620 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 64.1% | 64.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 28.2% | 19.2% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 7.7% | 16.5% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,011 m² | 831 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 350 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 20.5% | 32.1% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 0.0% | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.6% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 30.8% | 28.7% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1987 | 1984 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 17 | 230 | 54,978 |
New titles in Geraldine since 2020
202 of Geraldine's current titles (11%) were first issued since 2020, above Timaru District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and slightly below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is 2nd highest of 11 in Timaru District.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 201 | 109 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 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 Geraldine
The typical building in Geraldine stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 3rd flattest of 12 in Timaru District.
Nearly all of its 2,986 measured buildings (93%) stand on ground under 5°.
The land rises from about 84 m to 238 m, and 5% 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 Geraldine
Geraldine is inland: the typical title is 21 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 Geraldine: 2023 Census
About 87% of Geraldine's titles are in the census area Geraldine (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Geraldine exactly.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Geraldine than across Timaru District: 14.0% against 5.7%.
More residents are 65 or over in Geraldine than across Timaru District: 35.1% against 22.9%.
Household incomes are lower in Geraldine than across Timaru District: $59,000 against $76,900.
| Measure | Geraldine | Rangitata | Timaru District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,018 | 1,644 | 47,547 |
| Change since 2018 | +4.7% | +11.4% | +2.7% |
| Change since 2013 | +23.3% | +13.2% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 53.2 | 46.6 | 44.6 |
| Households | 1,317 | 645 | 19,557 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 78.4% | 76.3% | 74.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 21.4% | 24.2% | 25.5% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $89,000 | $76,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $330 | $225 | $320 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 8.6% | 8.8% | 8.0% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 15.5% | 18.8% | 17.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 11.4% | 10.6% | 15.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 37.9% | 48.0% | 43.9% |
| 65 and over | 35.1% | 22.6% | 22.9% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 18.0% | 19.2% | 16.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 14.0% | 21.0% | 24.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 46.7% | 44.3% | 42.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.1% | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 16.9% | 18.5% | 15.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 17.3% | 21.1% | 15.3% |
| Employed full-time | 39.1% | 50.7% | 48.9% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 37.0% | 48.7% | 36.1% |
| Median personal income | $31,500 | $44,100 | $38,600 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 12.0% | 24.0% | 13.5% |
| Car, truck or van | 73.3% | 67.0% | 78.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 14.0% | 3.3% | 5.7% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 32.7% | 22.6% | 28.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 5.5% | 2.5% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 30.0% | 36.4% | 35.5% |
| Couples without children | 57.6% | 56.8% | 50.8% |
| One-parent families | 12.7% | 7.4% | 13.6% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 86.6% | 94.4% | 85.0% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 77.5% | 57.6% | 74.5% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 10.6% | 11.9% | 14.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 6.5% | 6.5% | 9.5% |
Rents around Geraldine
New tenancies in Geraldine in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $470 a week (up 4.4% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Timaru District ($470), and below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Geraldine | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $470 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $428–$575 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +4.4% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Geraldine
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Geraldine, among them Geraldine High School (Secondary (Year 7-15)) and Geraldine Primary School (Contributing).
- Geraldine High School (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- Geraldine Primary School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Geraldine High School (0.6 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Geraldine High School (0.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Timaru Hospital (34.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Geraldine: a guide
Three secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Geraldine's titles: Craighead Diocesan School, Geraldine High School and Roncalli College.
- Geraldine Primary School (primary, Years 1–6): all or nearly all titles
- St Joseph's School (Temuka) (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Craighead Diocesan School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Geraldine High School (Year 7&8) (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Geraldine High School (Year 9-15) (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Roncalli College (secondary): 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 Geraldine
OpenStreetMap maps 4 places of worship inside Geraldine (3 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St. Mary's Anglican Church, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Timaru District with many cross-leases
- Highfield: 195 cross-lease titles (11.4%)
- Seaview: 195 cross-lease titles (18.5%)
- Temuka: 170 cross-lease titles (5.9%)
- Maori Hill: 157 cross-lease titles (27.0%)
- Glenwood: 91 cross-lease titles (11.2%)
- Gleniti: 90 cross-lease titles (6.4%)
All suburbs in Timaru District
Suburbs like Geraldine
The closest match on the measures on this site is Waimate in Waimate District, nearest on commuting by public transport, slope, population change. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waimate | Waimate District | 3.2% | $425 | 57.4 | commuting by public transport, slope, population change |
| Temuka | Timaru District | 5.9% | $450 | 50 | household income, unit-title share, heat pumps |
| Motueka | Tasman District | 3.0% | No data | 52.7 | commuting by public transport, heat pumps, household income |
| Waikawa, Marlborough District | Marlborough District | 4.8% | No data | 58.8 | heat pumps, cross-lease share, commuting by public transport |
| Pleasant Point | Timaru District | 4.2% | No data | 45.9 | commuting by public transport, schools, population change |
Questions
What is the rent in Geraldine?
New tenancies in the Geraldine rent area had a median rent of $470 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 $428 to $575.
What schools are in Geraldine?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Geraldine: Geraldine High School and Geraldine Primary School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Geraldine High School (0.6 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles are Craighead Diocesan School, Geraldine High School and Roncalli College; check the school's own zone map for any address.