Living in Cambridge: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 6,634 live property titles in Cambridge, Waipa District are almost all freehold (85%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 535 (8.1%), close to the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 535
- Share of live titles
- 8.1%
- Live titles in total
- 6,634
- Waipa District share
- 6.9%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Waipa District
- 3 of 3
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 379 of 644
Cambridge at a glance
Where Cambridge differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: typical distance to the coast (higher than 94% of NZ suburbs); titles first issued since 2020 (higher 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
- Cambridge is listed under Waipa District.
- 6,634 live titles are recorded here, including 535 cross-lease titles (8.1%).
- 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 8.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 4.4% 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 Cambridge
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 5,641 | 85.0% |
| Cross lease | 535 | 8.1% |
| Unit title | 294 | 4.4% |
| Leasehold | 86 | 1.3% |
| Other record types | 78 | 1.2% |
| Total | 6,634 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Cambridge compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Cambridge is close to the national share (8.7%).
Across Waipa District as a whole, the share is 6.9%; Cambridge is slightly higher than the overall Waipa District share (6.9%).
How cross-leases in Cambridge are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (12%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Carports appear in fewer leases (6% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Fewer leases include a garage (22% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Cambridge | Waipa District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 243 | 784 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 77.8% | 82.3% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 9.9% | 8.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 11.5% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 979 m² | 1,004 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 425 m² | 450 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 21.8% | 20.5% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 5.8% | 7.4% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 4.5% | 5.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 11.5% | 18.6% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1988 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 180 | 595 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Cambridge
Unit titles are 4% of Cambridge's titles, above Waipa District (3%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 29 developments, each run by a body corporate; 1 has 50 or more units.
86 titles (1.3%) are leasehold, 16 of them units in a unit-title development.
4 of them have a stated term that has ended or has under 10 years to run, which is worth reading closely in the lease.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 3 |
| Under 10 years left | 1 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 54 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 12 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 16 |
New titles in Cambridge since 2020
1,269 of Cambridge's current titles (19%) were first issued since 2020, slightly above Waipa District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (16%) and well above New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,104 | 778 |
| Unit title | 110 | 40 |
| Cross-lease | 13 | 11 |
| Leasehold | 24 | 19 |
| Other | 18 | 12 |
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 Cambridge
The typical building in Cambridge stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 9,425 measured buildings (97%) stand on ground under 5°.
The land rises from about 15 m to 350 m, and 11% 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 Cambridge
Cambridge is inland: the typical title is 45 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 Cambridge: 2023 Census
Cambridge's titles fall in 13 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 67% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More households have no car in Cambridge West than across Waipa District: 5.5% against 3.3%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Cambridge West than across Waipa District: 5.2% against 3.2%.
More people live alone in Cambridge West than across Waipa District: 30.4% against 21.5%.
| Measure | Cambridge West 18% of titles | Cambridge East 18% of titles | Cambridge North 17% of titles | Cambridge Central 15% of titles | Waipa District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,592 | 2,820 | 2,898 | 990 | 58,686 |
| Change since 2018 | +4.5% | +0.4% | +66.8% | +15.8% | +10.2% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.6% | +4.3% | +98.0% | +23.1% | +25.8% |
| Median age | 45.8 | 40.8 | 43.3 | 55.8 | 40.9 |
| Households | 1,056 | 1,065 | 1,035 | 513 | 21,612 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 71.3% | 67.6% | 84.6% | 59.1% | 74.0% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 28.7% | 32.4% | 15.7% | 40.9% | 26.0% |
| Median household income | $89,600 | $91,900 | $122,300 | $57,900 | $102,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $496 | $470 | $680 | $440 | $450 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.9% | 8.2% | 6.3% |
| Ages | |||||
| Under 15 | 16.6% | 19.5% | 20.5% | 11.5% | 20.0% |
| 15 to 29 | 16.4% | 17.8% | 15.6% | 11.8% | 16.4% |
| 30 to 64 | 43.1% | 43.3% | 43.2% | 38.5% | 44.1% |
| 65 and over | 23.8% | 19.4% | 20.7% | 38.2% | 19.4% |
| Where people came from | |||||
| Born overseas | 27.0% | 23.5% | 30.7% | 26.4% | 20.0% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 24.2% | 21.1% | 20.9% | 17.6% | 18.8% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 49.1% | 44.9% | 60.8% | 56.1% | 47.3% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 5.4% | 4.1% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 3.3% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 21.0% | 18.9% | 17.4% | 22.9% | 17.3% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 29.5% | 25.4% | 30.0% | 22.1% | 23.2% |
| Employed full-time | 49.7% | 49.1% | 50.3% | 39.2% | 52.3% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.4% | 2.8% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 48.6% | 43.9% | 53.0% | 43.0% | 46.7% |
| Median personal income | $41,800 | $41,400 | $48,600 | $35,500 | $45,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||||
| Work from home | 18.3% | 15.1% | 19.6% | 18.8% | 20.4% |
| Car, truck or van | 75.8% | 77.8% | 76.1% | 67.8% | 74.4% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.4% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Walk or cycle | 5.2% | 5.2% | 3.6% | 11.4% | 3.2% |
| Households and families | |||||
| One-person households | 30.4% | 25.4% | 19.8% | 47.5% | 21.5% |
| Average people per household | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 5.5% | 4.5% | 1.5% | 12.3% | 3.3% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 2.1% | 3.7% | 0.9% | 2.5% | 3.2% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 41.7% | 41.0% | 49.5% | 33.8% | 42.7% |
| Couples without children | 44.4% | 41.0% | 41.6% | 51.3% | 43.8% |
| One-parent families | 14.8% | 17.9% | 8.5% | 15.0% | 13.4% |
| Homes | |||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 78.0% | 83.8% | 82.3% | 52.3% | 87.1% |
| Average bedrooms | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 79.9% | 76.6% | 92.0% | 81.3% | 76.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 11.9% | 16.9% | 2.1% | 9.3% | 13.7% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 8.9% | 12.0% | 1.8% | 6.6% | 10.1% |
Rents around Cambridge
New tenancies in Cambridge West in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $685 a week (up 2.2% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Cambridge West 18% of titles | Cambridge East 18% of titles | Cambridge North 17% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $685 | $625 | $785 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $535–$760 | $538–$655 | $690–$860 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +2.2% | −0.8% | +1.9% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 18 | 15 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Cambridge
LINZ maps 7 school sites inside Cambridge, among them Cambridge East School (Contributing) and Cambridge High School (Secondary (Year 9-15)).
- Cambridge East School (Contributing)
- Cambridge High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Cambridge Middle School (Restricted Composite (Year 7-10))
- Cambridge School (Contributing)
- Goodwood School (Contributing)
- St Peter's Catholic School (Cambridge) (Full Primary)
- St Peter's School (Cambridge) (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- Nearest school: St Peter's Catholic School (Cambridge) (0.8 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Cambridge High School (2.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Matariki Hospital (19.4 km)
School enrolment zones in Cambridge: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Cambridge's titles: Cambridge High School.
- Cambridge East School (primary, Years 1–6): about 60% of titles
- Goodwood School (primary, Years 1–6): about 45% of titles
- Cambridge School (primary, Years 1–6): about 35% of titles
- Hautapu School (primary, Years 1–8): about 5% of titles
- Cambridge Middle School (restricted composite): all or nearly all titles
- Cambridge High School (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 Cambridge
OpenStreetMap maps 7 places of worship inside Cambridge (7 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Saint Peter's Parish, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Cambridge
The closest match on the measures on this site is Matamata in Matamata-Piako District, nearest on slope, schools, elevation. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matamata | Matamata-Piako District | 5.0% | No data | 43.4 | slope, schools, elevation |
| Morrinsville | Matamata-Piako District | 5.2% | $555 | 41.8 | older residents, household income, commuting by public transport |
| Te Awamutu | Waipa District | 10.0% | No data | 39 | schools, commuting by public transport, elevation |
| St Andrews | Hamilton City | 17.4% | $620 | 40.7 | stand-alone houses, population change, slope |
| Carterton | Carterton District | 2.5% | $520 | 48.2 | unit-title share, slope, land per flat |
Questions
What is the rent in Cambridge?
New tenancies in Cambridge West (the rent area for part of Cambridge) had a median rent of $685 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 $535 to $760.
What schools are in Cambridge?
LINZ maps 7 school sites inside Cambridge, including Cambridge East School, Cambridge High School and Cambridge Middle School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Cambridge High School (2.0 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Cambridge High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.