Living in Kensington, Timaru District: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 719 live property titles in Kensington, Timaru District are almost all freehold (92%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 51 (7.1%), slightly below the national share of 8.7%.
Kensington, Timaru District cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 51
- Share of live titles
- 7.1%
- Live titles in total
- 719
- Timaru District share
- 6.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Timaru District
- 6 of 12
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 404 of 644
Kensington at a glance
Where Kensington differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: 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
- Kensington is listed under Timaru District.
- 719 live titles are recorded here, including 51 cross-lease titles (7.1%).
- 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 7.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.8% 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 Kensington
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 658 | 91.5% |
| Cross lease | 51 | 7.1% |
| Unit title | 6 | 0.8% |
| Leasehold | 1 | 0.1% |
| Other record types | 3 | 0.4% |
| Total | 719 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Kensington compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Kensington is slightly lower than the national share (8.7%).
Across Timaru District as a whole, the share is 6.3%; Kensington is slightly higher than the overall Timaru District share (6.3%).
How cross-leases in Kensington are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (13%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (25%, against 11% nationally), up to 13.
More leases include a garage (44% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Kensington | Timaru District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 16 | 620 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 62.5% | 64.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 12.5% | 19.2% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 25.0% | 16.5% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,012 m² | 831 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 360 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 43.8% | 32.1% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 12.5% | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 12.5% | 28.7% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 7 | 230 | 54,978 |
New titles in Kensington since 2020
59 of Kensington's current titles (8%) were first issued since 2020, close to Timaru District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 58 | 37 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 1 |
| 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 Kensington
The typical building in Kensington stands on ground sloping 3.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Kensington
4% of Kensington's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 9% within 500 m and 39% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.1 km 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 Kensington: 2023 Census
About 88% of Kensington's titles are in the census area Kensington (Timaru District) (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Kensington exactly.
Fewer workers work from home in Kensington (Timaru District) than across Timaru District: 6.9% against 13.5%.
Fewer residents are 65 or over in Kensington (Timaru District) than across Timaru District: 16.5% against 22.9%.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Kensington (Timaru District) than across Timaru District: 11.6% against 15.3%.
| Measure | Kensington (Timaru District) | Timaru East | Timaru District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,506 | 270 | 47,547 |
| Change since 2018 | +2.9% | −1.1% | +2.7% |
| Change since 2013 | +6.4% | +4.7% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 44.6 | 44.6 |
| Households | 654 | 117 | 19,557 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 68.8% | 56.4% | 74.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 31.7% | 43.6% | 25.5% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $68,200 | $76,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $315 | $300 | $320 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.4% | 14.8% | 8.0% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 17.5% | 15.6% | 17.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.1% | 16.7% | 15.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 46.0% | 44.4% | 43.9% |
| 65 and over | 16.5% | 23.3% | 22.9% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 14.0% | 23.6% | 16.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 31.4% | 19.0% | 24.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 42.1% | 57.5% | 42.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2.8% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.0% | 16.9% | 15.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 11.6% | 14.3% | 15.3% |
| Employed full-time | 47.8% | 42.7% | 48.9% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.4% | 5.3% | 1.8% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 26.3% | 39.5% | 36.1% |
| Median personal income | $36,500 | $36,200 | $38,600 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 6.9% | 11.6% | 13.5% |
| Car, truck or van | 85.5% | 65.1% | 78.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.1% | 2.3% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 5.3% | 16.3% | 5.7% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 34.4% | 34.3% | 28.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 7.4% | 9.1% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 3.3% | 0.0% | 2.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 33.8% | 28.6% | 35.5% |
| Couples without children | 44.9% | 42.9% | 50.8% |
| One-parent families | 22.1% | 23.8% | 13.6% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 84.9% | 59.5% | 85.0% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 77.7% | 68.6% | 74.5% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 20.4% | 21.2% | 14.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 14.2% | 18.2% | 9.5% |
Rents around Kensington
New tenancies in Kensington (Timaru District) in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $468 a week. That is close to the typical suburb in Timaru District ($470), and below the national median ($600); 3rd lowest of 7 in Timaru District.
| April–June 2026 | Kensington (Timaru District) | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $468 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $450–$516 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | — | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Kensington
No school site lies inside Kensington's boundary; the nearest is Timaru South School, 0.4 km away in a straight line.
- Nearest school: Timaru South School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Timaru Girls' High School (0.9 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Timaru Hospital (0.6 km)
School enrolment zones in Kensington: a guide
Two secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Kensington's titles: Craighead Diocesan School and Roncalli College.
- St Joseph's School (Timaru) (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Timaru South School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Craighead Diocesan School (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 Kensington
OpenStreetMap maps 1 place of worship inside Kensington (1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Trinity 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%)
- Geraldine: 98 cross-lease titles (5.3%)
- Glenwood: 91 cross-lease titles (11.2%)
- Gleniti: 90 cross-lease titles (6.4%)
All suburbs in Timaru District
Suburbs like Kensington
The closest match on the measures on this site is Glenwood in Timaru District, nearest on schools, commuting by public transport, stand-alone houses. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenwood | Timaru District | 11.2% | No data | 39.4 | schools, commuting by public transport, stand-alone houses |
| Hampstead | Ashburton District | 14.3% | No data | 37.6 | population change, new titles, unit-title share |
| Marchwiel | Timaru District | 3.6% | No data | 39.2 | population change, distance to the coast, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Waimataitai | Timaru District | 8.3% | $490 | 44.4 | commuting by public transport, schools, distance to the coast |
| Netherby | Ashburton District | 3.8% | No data | 37.5 | degrees, older residents, unit-title share |
Questions
What is the rent in Kensington, Timaru District?
New tenancies in Kensington (Timaru District) (the rent area for part of Kensington) had a median rent of $468 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 $516.
What schools are in Kensington, Timaru District?
No school site lies inside Kensington's boundary. The nearest school is Timaru South School (0.4 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles are Craighead Diocesan School and Roncalli College; check the school's own zone map for any address.