Living in Oamaru: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,842 live property titles in Oamaru, Waitaki District are almost all freehold (90%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 118 (6.4%), below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 118
- Share of live titles
- 6.4%
- Live titles in total
- 1,842
- Waitaki District share
- 2.2%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Waitaki District
- 1 of 3
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 428 of 644
Oamaru at a glance
Where Oamaru differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: titles first issued since 2020 (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
- Oamaru is listed under Waitaki District.
- 1,842 live titles are recorded here, including 118 cross-lease titles (6.4%).
- 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 6.4% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.9% 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 Oamaru
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,660 | 90.1% |
| Cross lease | 118 | 6.4% |
| Unit title | 17 | 0.9% |
| Leasehold | 36 | 2.0% |
| Other record types | 11 | 0.6% |
| Total | 1,842 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Oamaru compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Oamaru is lower than the national share (8.7%).
Across Waitaki District as a whole, the share is 2.2%; Oamaru is about 2.9 times the overall Waitaki District share (2.2%).
How cross-leases in Oamaru are set up
Three-flat schemes are more common here (46%, against 12% nationally).
Two-flat schemes are less common here (27% of schemes, against 76% nationally).
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (2% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Oamaru | Waitaki District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 41 | 143 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 26.8% | 48.3% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 46.3% | 33.6% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 26.8% | 18.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,012 m² | 989 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 336 m² | 337 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 24.4% | 39.2% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.3% | 8.4% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.4% | 7.0% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 43.9% | 30.1% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1985 | 1983 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 4 | 31 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Oamaru
Unit titles are 1% of Oamaru's titles, close to Waitaki District (1%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 5 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 4 units or fewer.
36 titles (2.0%) are leasehold.
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 | 2 |
| Under 10 years left | 2 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 6 |
| More than 50 years left | 0 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 23 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 3 |
New titles in Oamaru since 2020
52 of Oamaru's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Waitaki District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 37 | 24 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 15 | 8 |
| 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 Oamaru
The typical building in Oamaru stands on ground sloping 2.6° (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 Oamaru
10% of Oamaru's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 40% within 500 m and 74% within 1 km. The typical title is 610 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 Oamaru: 2023 Census
Oamaru's titles fall in 5 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 96% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Glen Warren than across Waitaki District: 8.3% against 19.8%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Glen Warren than across Waitaki District: 12.7% against 6.3%.
More households have no car in Glen Warren than across Waitaki District: 11.1% against 5.7%.
| Measure | Glen Warren 51% of titles | Oamaru Central 27% of titles | Oamaru Gardens 18% of titles | Waitaki District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,908 | 279 | 1,152 | 23,472 |
| Change since 2018 | +16.9% | −5.1% | −2.0% | +5.2% |
| Change since 2013 | +26.2% | +2.2% | +6.7% | +12.7% |
| Median age | 44.3 | 56.9 | 47.9 | 46.1 |
| Households | 762 | 129 | 510 | 9,702 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 67.7% | 37.2% | 80.0% | 73.6% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 32.3% | 62.8% | 20.6% | 26.4% |
| Median household income | $53,400 | $39,200 | $62,100 | $68,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $300 | $206 | $326 | $296 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.7% | 9.6% | 8.1% | 18.0% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 15.1% | 10.8% | 15.4% | 17.2% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.3% | 10.8% | 14.3% | 14.9% |
| 30 to 64 | 37.1% | 37.6% | 42.7% | 44.0% |
| 65 and over | 27.5% | 40.9% | 27.3% | 23.9% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 30.1% | 26.1% | 16.5% | 18.7% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 36.3% | 21.7% | 17.5% | 26.4% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 49.9% | 51.6% | 43.2% | 44.4% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 6.0% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 24.5% | 19.8% | 14.9% | 17.9% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 17.7% | 6.3% | 18.3% | 15.7% |
| Employed full-time | 40.2% | 31.3% | 45.1% | 47.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 29.7% | 21.2% | 33.9% | 36.8% |
| Median personal income | $29,300 | $26,800 | $36,400 | $34,900 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 8.3% | 15.2% | 11.1% | 19.8% |
| Car, truck or van | 77.2% | 69.7% | 79.9% | 71.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Walk or cycle | 12.7% | 12.1% | 7.9% | 6.3% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 39.8% | 57.1% | 32.7% | 31.0% |
| Average people per household | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 11.1% | 32.5% | 4.4% | 5.7% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.5% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 35.0% | — | 31.1% | 35.3% |
| Couples without children | 50.3% | — | 53.8% | 52.5% |
| One-parent families | 14.7% | — | 13.2% | 12.2% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 81.2% | 54.5% | 96.5% | 90.1% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 70.2% | 69.0% | 74.5% | 62.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 19.1% | 23.1% | 14.0% | 15.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 14.2% | 12.8% | 10.8% | 10.1% |
Rents around Oamaru
New tenancies in Glen Warren in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $495 a week (up 11.7% on a year earlier). That is slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Glen Warren 51% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $495 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $445–$539 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +11.7% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Oamaru
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside Oamaru, among them St Joseph's School (Oamaru) (Full Primary) and Te Pākihi o Maru (Contributing).
- St Joseph's School (Oamaru) (Full Primary)
- Te Pākihi o Maru (Contributing)
- Waitaki Girls' High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Nearest school: St Joseph's School (Oamaru) (0.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Waitaki Girls' High School (0.7 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Ōamaru Hospital (0.7 km)
School enrolment zones in Oamaru: a guide
The largest primary-school zone share of Oamaru's titles is in Fenwick School's home zone (about 15%).
- Fenwick School (primary, Years 1–6): about 15% of titles
- Oamaru Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): 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 Oamaru
OpenStreetMap maps 7 places of worship inside Oamaru (6 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Saint Patrick's Basilica, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Oamaru
The closest match on the measures on this site is South Hill in Waitaki District, nearest on distance to the coast, land per flat, commuting by public transport. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill | Waitaki District | 4.2% | $465 | 47 | distance to the coast, land per flat, commuting by public transport |
| Oamaru North | Waitaki District | 5.6% | $455 | 39.9 | commuting by public transport, land per flat, distance to the coast |
| Balclutha | Clutha District | 4.1% | $500 | 42.7 | slope, commuting by public transport, rent |
| Waimataitai | Timaru District | 8.3% | $490 | 44.4 | distance to the coast, median age, rent |
| Highfield | Timaru District | 11.4% | $500 | 51 | commuting by public transport, rent, stand-alone houses |
Questions
What is the rent in Oamaru?
New tenancies in Glen Warren (the rent area for part of Oamaru) had a median rent of $495 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 $445 to $539.
What schools are in Oamaru?
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside Oamaru: St Joseph's School (Oamaru), Te Pākihi o Maru and Waitaki Girls' High School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Waitaki Girls' High School (0.7 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.