Living in Maori Hill, Timaru District: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 581 live property titles in Maori Hill, Timaru District are mostly freehold (60%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 157 (27.0%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
Maori Hill, Timaru District cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 157
- Share of live titles
- 27.0%
- Live titles in total
- 581
- Timaru District share
- 6.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Timaru District
- 1 of 12
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- 46 of 644
Maori Hill at a glance
Where Maori Hill differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: cross-lease share of titles (higher than 92% of NZ suburbs); median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 90% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Maori Hill is listed under Timaru District.
- 581 live titles are recorded here, including 157 cross-lease titles (27.0%).
- 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 27.0% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 9.0% 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 Maori Hill
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 351 | 60.4% |
| Cross lease | 157 | 27.0% |
| Unit title | 52 | 9.0% |
| Leasehold | 8 | 1.4% |
| Other record types | 13 | 2.2% |
| Total | 581 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Maori Hill compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Maori Hill is about 3.1 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Timaru District as a whole, the share is 6.3%; Maori Hill is about 4.3 times the overall Timaru District share (6.3%).
Its cross-lease share is the highest of 12 in Timaru District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Maori Hill are set up
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (44%, against 11% nationally), up to 9.
Two-flat schemes are less common here (42% of schemes, against 76% nationally).
More leases include a garage (42% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Maori Hill | Timaru District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 45 | 620 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 42.2% | 64.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 13.3% | 19.2% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 44.4% | 16.5% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 862 m² | 831 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 279 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 42.2% | 32.1% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 8.9% | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 4.4% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 28.9% | 28.7% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1979 | 1984 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 10 | 230 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Maori Hill
Unit titles are 9% of Maori Hill's titles, well above Timaru District (2%) and slightly above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 14 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
The unit-title share is 2nd highest of 12 in Timaru District.
New titles in Maori Hill since 2020
22 of Maori Hill's current titles (4%) were first issued since 2020, well below Timaru District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
Most came recently: 16 since 2023.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 22 | 16 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 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 Maori Hill
The typical building in Maori Hill stands on ground sloping 4.5° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), the steepest of 12 in Timaru District.
Unusually much of the sloping land faces north: 47%, where about a quarter would if slopes faced every way equally.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Maori Hill
3% of Maori Hill's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 43% within 500 m and 100% within 1 km. The typical title is 520 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 Maori Hill: 2023 Census
About 86% of Maori Hill's titles are in the census area Waimataitai-Maori Hill (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Maori Hill exactly.
More households have no car in Waimataitai-Maori Hill than across Timaru District: 9.8% against 5.6%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Waimataitai-Maori Hill than across Timaru District: 9.6% against 5.7%.
More residents were born overseas in Waimataitai-Maori Hill than across Timaru District: 22.9% against 16.1%.
| Measure | Waimataitai-Maori Hill | Timaru District whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,082 | 47,547 |
| Change since 2018 | +1.9% | +2.7% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.5% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 44.4 | 44.6 |
| Households | 909 | 19,557 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 63.7% | 74.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 36.3% | 25.5% |
| Median household income | $72,300 | $76,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $310 | $320 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 8.3% | 8.0% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 14.7% | 17.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.9% | 15.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 42.7% | 43.9% |
| 65 and over | 24.6% | 22.9% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 22.9% | 16.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 37.3% | 24.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 43.0% | 42.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.7% | 2.8% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 18.1% | 15.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 17.0% | 15.3% |
| Employed full-time | 48.4% | 48.9% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 33.5% | 36.1% |
| Median personal income | $37,500 | $38,600 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 12.2% | 13.5% |
| Car, truck or van | 76.9% | 78.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.6% | 5.7% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 33.4% | 28.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 9.8% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 31.9% | 35.5% |
| Couples without children | 55.1% | 50.8% |
| One-parent families | 13.0% | 13.6% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 69.4% | 85.0% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.8 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 83.3% | 74.5% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 16.2% | 14.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 11.1% | 9.5% |
Rents around Maori Hill
New tenancies in Waimataitai-Maori Hill in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $490 a week (up 11.4% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Timaru District ($470), and slightly below the national median ($600); joint 2nd highest of 7 in Timaru District.
| April–June 2026 | Waimataitai-Maori Hill | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $490 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $415–$500 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +11.4% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Maori Hill
One school site lies inside Maori Hill: Waimataitai School (Full Primary).
- Waimataitai School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Waimataitai School (0.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Craighead Diocesan School (1.3 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Timaru Hospital (2.6 km)
School enrolment zones in Maori Hill: a guide
Two secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Maori Hill's titles: Craighead Diocesan School and Roncalli College.
- St Joseph's School (Timaru) (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Waimataitai 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
- Mountainview High School (secondary): about 45% of 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 Maori Hill
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Maori Hill's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St Joseph's Parish - Highfield, 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%)
- 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 Maori Hill
The closest match on the measures on this site is Seaview, Timaru District in Timaru District, nearest on commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, heat pumps. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seaview, Timaru District | Timaru District | 18.5% | $430 | 41 | commuting by public transport, distance to the coast, heat pumps |
| Waimataitai | Timaru District | 8.3% | $490 | 44.4 | rent, median age, children |
| Saint Kilda | Dunedin City | 25.3% | $535 | 42.4 | distance to the coast, population change, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Highfield | Timaru District | 11.4% | $500 | 51 | population change, household income, working from home |
| Ashburton | Ashburton District | 21.5% | $450 | 48.5 | home ownership, children, heat pumps |
Questions
What is the rent in Maori Hill, Timaru District?
New tenancies in Waimataitai-Maori Hill (the rent area for part of Maori Hill) had a median rent of $490 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 $415 to $500.
What schools are in Maori Hill, Timaru District?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Maori Hill: Waimataitai School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Craighead Diocesan School (1.3 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.