Living in Temuka: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,869 live property titles in Temuka, Timaru District are almost all freehold (93%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 170 (5.9%), below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 170
- Share of live titles
- 5.9%
- Live titles in total
- 2,869
- Timaru District share
- 6.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Timaru District
- 8 of 12
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 449 of 644
Temuka at a glance
Where Temuka differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 94% of NZ suburbs); median age (higher than 93% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Temuka is listed under Timaru District.
- 2,869 live titles are recorded here, including 170 cross-lease titles (5.9%).
- 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 5.9% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.6% 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 Temuka
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,665 | 92.9% |
| Cross lease | 170 | 5.9% |
| Unit title | 16 | 0.6% |
| Leasehold | 2 | 0.1% |
| Other record types | 16 | 0.6% |
| Total | 2,869 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Temuka compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Temuka is lower than the national share (8.7%).
Across Timaru District as a whole, the share is 6.3%; Temuka is close to the overall Timaru District share (6.3%).
How cross-leases in Temuka are set up
Three-flat schemes are more common here (21%, against 12% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (3% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Temuka | Timaru District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 68 | 620 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 67.6% | 64.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 20.6% | 19.2% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 11.8% | 16.5% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,006 m² | 831 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 374 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 26.5% | 32.1% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 13.2% | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.9% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 35.3% | 28.7% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1987 | 1984 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 30 | 230 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Temuka
Unit titles are 1% of Temuka's titles, well below Timaru District (2%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 7 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
New titles in Temuka since 2020
184 of Temuka's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, below Timaru District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 180 | 91 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 4 | 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 Temuka
The typical building in Temuka stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), joint flattest of 12 in Timaru District.
Nearly all of its 4,750 measured buildings (98%) stand on ground under 5°.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Temuka
Temuka is inland: the typical title is 6.8 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 Temuka: 2023 Census
Temuka's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 100% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Temuka West than across Timaru District: 8.2% against 15.3%.
Fewer residents were born overseas in Temuka West than across Timaru District: 10.9% against 16.1%.
Fewer workers work from home in Temuka West than across Timaru District: 9.5% against 13.5%.
| Measure | Temuka West 45% of titles | Temuka East 38% of titles | Waitohi (Timaru District) 16% of titles | Timaru District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,208 | 2,385 | 1,758 | 47,547 |
| Change since 2018 | +2.1% | +3.4% | −0.2% | +2.7% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.5% | +6.6% | +1.2% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 50 | 43.5 | 41.7 | 44.6 |
| Households | 1,002 | 963 | 699 | 19,557 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 74.9% | 81.6% | 66.8% | 74.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 25.1% | 18.4% | 33.6% | 25.5% |
| Median household income | $60,200 | $77,200 | $77,300 | $76,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $290 | $330 | $220 | $320 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.6% | 5.2% | 18.7% | 8.0% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 16.0% | 18.6% | 17.7% | 17.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 14.4% | 16.4% | 15.5% | 15.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 40.8% | 43.9% | 49.7% | 43.9% |
| 65 and over | 28.8% | 21.1% | 16.9% | 22.9% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 10.9% | 12.0% | 17.3% | 16.1% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 17.3% | 23.7% | 27.0% | 24.1% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 41.7% | 35.5% | 46.7% | 42.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 1.7% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 2.8% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 14.5% | 12.1% | 21.2% | 15.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 8.2% | 9.0% | 12.8% | 15.3% |
| Employed full-time | 45.9% | 50.6% | 53.3% | 48.9% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.6% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 28.4% | 25.6% | 46.3% | 36.1% |
| Median personal income | $34,100 | $38,400 | $41,300 | $38,600 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 9.5% | 7.4% | 28.7% | 13.5% |
| Car, truck or van | 83.8% | 88.1% | 62.4% | 78.7% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 4.5% | 3.5% | 3.0% | 5.7% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 36.8% | 26.2% | 29.3% | 28.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 6.4% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 5.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.5% | 3.2% | 1.8% | 2.9% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 30.3% | 36.4% | 40.3% | 35.5% |
| Couples without children | 53.5% | 49.1% | 49.4% | 50.8% |
| One-parent families | 15.7% | 14.9% | 10.4% | 13.6% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 82.6% | 94.7% | 88.1% | 85.0% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 76.8% | 68.9% | 54.0% | 74.5% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 14.6% | 15.0% | 19.8% | 14.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 7.8% | 9.0% | 11.0% | 9.5% |
Rents around Temuka
New tenancies in Temuka West in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $450 a week. That is close to the typical suburb in Timaru District ($470), and below the national median ($600); 2nd lowest of 7 in Timaru District.
| April–June 2026 | Temuka West 45% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $450 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $400–$495 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | — | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Temuka
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Temuka, among them Arowhenua Maori School (Full Primary) and Opihi College (Secondary (Year 7-15)).
- Arowhenua Maori School (Full Primary)
- Opihi College (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- St Joseph's School (Temuka) (Full Primary)
- Temuka Primary School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Winchester Rural School (3.7 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Opihi College (4.1 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Timaru Hospital (21.2 km)
School enrolment zones in Temuka: a guide
Three secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Temuka's titles: Craighead Diocesan School, Roncalli College and Opihi College.
- Temuka 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
- Roncalli College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Opihi College (Year 9-15) (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Opihi College Years 7-8 (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 Temuka
OpenStreetMap maps 4 places of worship inside Temuka (4 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St Peter's Anglican Church, 3.3 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%)
- 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 Temuka
The closest match on the measures on this site is Pleasant Point in Timaru District, nearest on slope, unit-title share, born overseas. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Point | Timaru District | 4.2% | No data | 45.9 | slope, unit-title share, born overseas |
| Geraldine | Timaru District | 5.3% | $470 | 53.2 | household income, unit-title share, heat pumps |
| Rangiora | Waimakariri District | 11.5% | $450 | 44.1 | rent, slope, children |
| Highfield | Timaru District | 11.4% | $500 | 51 | commuting by public transport, home ownership, population change |
| Allenton | Ashburton District | 8.6% | $435 | 51.6 | slope, unit-title share, land per flat |
Questions
What is the rent in Temuka?
New tenancies in Temuka West (the rent area for part of Temuka) had a median rent of $450 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 $400 to $495.
What schools are in Temuka?
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Temuka, including Arowhenua Maori School, Opihi College and St Joseph's School (Temuka). The nearest secondary school to its centre is Opihi College (4.1 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles are Craighead Diocesan School, Roncalli College and Opihi College; check the school's own zone map for any address.