Living in Waimate: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 3,184 live property titles in Waimate, Waimate District are almost all freehold (96%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 101 (3.2%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 101
- Share of live titles
- 3.2%
- Live titles in total
- 3,184
- Waimate District share
- 1.7%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Waimate District
- 1 of 1
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 574 of 644
Waimate at a glance
Where Waimate differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median age (higher than 98% of NZ suburbs); median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 97% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Waimate is listed under Waimate District.
- 3,184 live titles are recorded here, including 101 cross-lease titles (3.2%).
- 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 3.2% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.3% 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 Waimate
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 3,067 | 96.3% |
| Cross lease | 101 | 3.2% |
| Unit title | 8 | 0.3% |
| Leasehold | 4 | 0.1% |
| Other record types | 4 | 0.1% |
| Total | 3,184 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Waimate compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Waimate is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Waimate District as a whole, the share is 1.7%; Waimate is about 1.9 times the overall Waimate District share (1.7%).
How cross-leases in Waimate are set up
Carports appear in fewer leases (5% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (15%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Separate exclusive-use areas are more common (8% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Waimate | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 40 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 72.5% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 17.5% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 875 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 385 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 20.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 5.0% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 7.5% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 15.0% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1978 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 22 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Waimate
Unit titles are 0.3% of Waimate's titles, well below New Zealand (7.5%). They belong to 3 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
New titles in Waimate since 2020
215 of Waimate's current titles (7%) were first issued since 2020, close to Waimate District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 212 | 94 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 2 | 1 |
| 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 Waimate
The typical building in Waimate stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 5,854 measured buildings (97%) stand on ground under 5°.
The land rises from about 0 m to 668 m, and 18% 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 Waimate
Waimate is inland: the typical title is 9.9 km from the sea or harbour edge, and fewer than 1 in 200 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 Waimate: 2023 Census
Waimate's titles fall in 6 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 92% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Waimate East than across Waimate District: 7.8% against 28.6%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Waimate East than across Waimate District: 11.3% against 4.9%.
More households have no car in Waimate East than across Waimate District: 10.3% against 4.8%.
| Measure | Waimate East 35% of titles | Waimate West 22% of titles | Mākikihi-Willowbridge 19% of titles | Waimate North 16% of titles | Waimate District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,689 | 1,320 | 1,047 | 582 | 8,121 |
| Change since 2018 | +4.6% | −1.1% | +3.9% | +14.8% | +3.9% |
| Change since 2013 | +10.6% | +5.3% | +5.4% | +15.5% | +7.8% |
| Median age | 57.4 | 53.4 | 46.5 | 55.5 | 47.1 |
| Households | 792 | 615 | 417 | 267 | 3,444 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 72.3% | 76.6% | 73.4% | 88.8% | 69.0% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 27.7% | 23.4% | 25.9% | 12.4% | 30.9% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $49,900 | $88,200 | $61,200 | $67,800 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $280 | $320 | $250 | $350 | $250 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.9% | 7.6% | 9.0% | 5.3% | 12.4% |
| Ages | |||||
| Under 15 | 13.0% | 14.1% | 17.5% | 12.9% | 16.9% |
| 15 to 29 | 10.1% | 14.1% | 13.8% | 11.3% | 13.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 39.1% | 39.8% | 51.0% | 43.8% | 45.1% |
| 65 and over | 37.7% | 32.0% | 17.8% | 32.5% | 24.0% |
| Where people came from | |||||
| Born overseas | 14.1% | 13.2% | 16.7% | 13.9% | 17.2% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 10.3% | 13.8% | 22.4% | 7.4% | 23.4% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 50.3% | 42.0% | 39.5% | 41.8% | 43.6% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 18.6% | 14.6% | 13.0% | 12.9% | 17.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 11.2% | 10.4% | 16.1% | 13.3% | 13.8% |
| Employed full-time | 35.5% | 34.9% | 58.0% | 39.4% | 48.5% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 1.4% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 29.4% | 29.4% | 49.1% | 35.2% | 45.4% |
| Median personal income | $28,000 | $26,300 | $41,100 | $31,300 | $34,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||||
| Work from home | 7.8% | 6.7% | 33.6% | 17.6% | 28.6% |
| Car, truck or van | 80.1% | 82.2% | 58.4% | 76.9% | 62.1% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 11.3% | 10.0% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 4.9% |
| Households and families | |||||
| One-person households | 38.8% | 32.5% | 21.9% | 27.0% | 28.9% |
| Average people per household | 2 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 10.3% | 5.3% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 4.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1.1% | 2.4% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 25.3% | 24.2% | 40.2% | 22.2% | 35.2% |
| Couples without children | 60.0% | 59.8% | 52.9% | 69.8% | 54.7% |
| One-parent families | 14.7% | 15.9% | 7.8% | 6.3% | 10.1% |
| Homes | |||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 85.3% | 92.2% | 95.7% | 96.6% | 92.2% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 70.6% | 66.3% | 46.5% | 61.4% | 56.7% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 15.5% | 15.7% | 17.7% | 8.5% | 15.5% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 10.5% | 10.7% | 14.5% | 4.9% | 10.6% |
Rents around Waimate
New tenancies in Waimate East in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $425 a week (up 1.2% on a year earlier). That is below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Waimate East 35% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $425 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $338–$450 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +1.2% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Waimate
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Waimate, among them St Patrick's School (Waimate) (Full Primary) and Waimate Centennial School (Contributing).
- St Patrick's School (Waimate) (Full Primary)
- Waimate Centennial School (Contributing)
- Waimate High School (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- Waimate Main School (Contributing)
- Waituna Creek School (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Waimate High School (1.0 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Waimate High School (1.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Ōamaru Hospital (39.6 km)
School enrolment zones in Waimate: a guide
Two secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Waimate's titles: Craighead Diocesan School and Roncalli College.
- 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 Waimate
OpenStreetMap maps 6 places of worship inside Waimate (6 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Calvary Chapel, 1.2 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Waimate
The closest match on the measures on this site is Geraldine in Timaru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geraldine | Timaru District | 5.3% | $470 | 53.2 | commuting by public transport, slope, population change |
| Temuka | Timaru District | 5.9% | $450 | 50 | unit-title share, new titles, population change |
| Motueka | Tasman District | 3.0% | No data | 52.7 | commuting by public transport, cross-lease share, stand-alone houses |
| Marton | Rangitikei District | 1.8% | $480 | 48.8 | commuting by public transport, population change, unit-title share |
| Foxton Beach | Horowhenua District | 2.3% | $500 | 57.2 | slope, unit-title share, median age |
Questions
What is the rent in Waimate?
New tenancies in Waimate East (the rent area for part of Waimate) had a median rent of $425 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 $338 to $450.
What schools are in Waimate?
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Waimate, including St Patrick's School (Waimate), Waimate Centennial School and Waimate High School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Waimate High School (1.0 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.