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Living in Johnsonville: rents, schools, census and property titles

The 4,707 live property titles in Johnsonville, Wellington City are mostly freehold (71%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 616 (13.1%), well above the national share of 8.7%.

Johnsonville cross-lease titles

Cross-lease titles
616
Share of live titles
13.1%
Live titles in total
4,707
Wellington City share
5.6%
New Zealand share
8.7%
Rank by share in Wellington City
4 of 32
Rank by share in New Zealand
joint 251 of 644

https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/50804-nz-property-titles/

Johnsonville at a glance

Where Johnsonville differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median slope under buildings (higher than 91% of NZ suburbs).

Cross-lease share of titles
13.1%
Typical in Wellington City: 6.1%
Higher than 60% of NZ suburbs
Median weekly rent, new tenancies
$685
Typical in Wellington City: $625
Higher than 80% of NZ suburbs
Titles first issued since 2020
7.9%
Typical in Wellington City: 6.0%
Near the middle of NZ suburbs
Median slope under buildings
8°
Typical in Wellington City: 8.4°
Higher than 91% of NZ suburbs
Typical distance to the coast
2.8 km
Typical in Wellington City: 1.4 km
Near the middle of NZ suburbs
Titles within 400 m of a public transport stop
98.9%
Typical in Wellington City: 99.4%
Median age
37 years
Typical in Wellington City: 37.1 years
Lower than 60% of NZ suburbs
Homes with a heat pump
65.3%
Typical in Wellington City: 60.3%
Lower than 65% of NZ suburbs

Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits

What the data tells you

Recorded facts

  • Johnsonville is listed under Wellington City.
  • 4,707 live titles are recorded here, including 616 cross-lease titles (13.1%).
  • 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 13.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
  • Unit titles account for 13.6% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
  • Public-transport figures describe how recorded titles sit near mapped stops. They do not describe a service from a particular property.
  • 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

  • The core title, Census, rent, transport and coast measures used by this page are available.

Title mix in Johnsonville

Title typeLive titlesShare
Freehold3,32370.6%
Cross lease61613.1%
Unit title64113.6%
Leasehold370.8%
Other record types901.9%
Total4,707100%

Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits

How Johnsonville compares

Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Johnsonville is about 1.5 times the national share (8.7%).

Across Wellington City as a whole, the share is 5.6%; Johnsonville is about 2.3 times the overall Wellington City share (5.6%).

Its cross-lease share is in the highest quarter of 32 in Wellington City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).

How cross-leases in Johnsonville are set up

Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (2% of schemes, against 5% nationally).

Fewer leases include a garage (18% of schemes, against 28% nationally).

Three-flat schemes are less common here (8%, against 12% nationally).

Scheme structureJohnsonvilleWellington CityNew Zealand
Cross-lease schemes (shared sections)2672,13087,651
Two-flat schemes83.5%82.4%76.2%
Three-flat schemes8.2%6.7%12.2%
Four or more flats8.2%10.4%11.4%
Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey)799 m²759 m²908 m²
Typical land per flat368 m²350 m²408 m²
Schemes with a garage written into a lease18.0%18.0%28.4%
Schemes with a carport in a lease8.6%8.1%13.3%
Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area1.9%4.3%4.5%
Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem)25.1%22.5%35.6%
Median year of earliest current title198819871988
Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more14499154,978

Sources and limits

Unit titles and leasehold in Johnsonville

Unit titles are 14% of Johnsonville's titles, well below Wellington City (25%) and well above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 76 developments, each run by a body corporate; 4 have 50 or more units.

37 titles (0.8%) are leasehold.

Most stated terms have more than 50 years to run.

Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:

Stated lease termTitles
Stated term has ended0
Under 10 years left0
10 to 50 years left0
More than 50 years left32
Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable)5
Term not stated or not readable0

Sources and limits

New titles in Johnsonville since 2020

372 of Johnsonville's current titles (8%) were first issued since 2020, close to Wellington City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).

That rate is in the highest quarter of 31 in Wellington City.

40% are unit titles, in 9 developments; most of the rest are freehold.

Title typeSince 2020Since 2023
Freehold216136
Unit title14723
Cross-lease21
Leasehold20
Other51

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 Johnsonville

The typical building in Johnsonville stands on ground sloping 8.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).

About 15% of its 4,486 measured buildings stand on ground of 15° or more.

The land rises from about 106 m to 330 m, and 34% 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 Johnsonville

Johnsonville is inland: the typical title is 2.8 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 Johnsonville: 2023 Census

Johnsonville's titles fall in 9 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 4 shown below hold 99% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.

Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Johnsonville West than across Wellington City: 4.4% against 19.8%.

Fewer households have no car in Johnsonville West than across Wellington City: 4.3% against 15.2%.

Fewer people live alone in Johnsonville West than across Wellington City: 17.0% against 24.1%.

MeasureJohnsonville West
28% of titles
Johnsonville Central
27% of titles
Johnsonville North
26% of titles
Johnsonville South
19% of titles
Wellington City
whole council
Usual residents3,4712,8533,2821,914202,689
Change since 2018+3.0%+1.8%+1.2%+13.1%−0.0%
Change since 2013+9.5%+18.7%+9.2%+15.6%+6.1%
Median age3734.636.238.834.9
Households1,1851,1371,14672977,004
Own or part-own their home (including family trusts)69.1%42.2%67.3%64.6%58.6%
Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting)30.6%57.8%33.0%35.4%41.4%
Median household income$145,300$112,400$132,200$111,400$134,500
Median weekly rent, renting households$620$520$606$590$560
Dwellings unoccupied on census night4.4%6.8%5.9%7.2%7.8%
Ages
Under 1518.7%15.6%19.2%15.0%14.4%
15 to 2921.0%24.1%19.7%20.2%27.2%
30 to 6449.5%50.9%50.8%42.5%46.8%
65 and over10.9%9.5%10.1%22.1%11.7%
Where people came from
Born overseas42.1%43.6%35.8%37.9%34.6%
Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years22.4%33.9%27.0%23.8%23.2%
Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since)36.1%47.3%40.1%51.1%44.2%
Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents)5.5%6.4%5.4%4.2%5.4%
Moved here in the last year (of all residents)17.8%25.4%18.3%21.5%24.0%
Work and study (people 15 and over)
Bachelor degree or higher42.1%40.7%43.2%41.9%48.6%
Employed full-time59.6%62.1%60.5%53.0%59.0%
Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate)2.4%2.7%2.8%2.8%3.0%
Managers and professionals (of those employed)55.0%52.2%54.7%57.1%59.5%
Median personal income$55,500$52,700$56,600$49,100$55,500
Getting to work (of those employed)
Work from home20.4%17.6%18.7%19.2%18.7%
Car, truck or van53.3%48.3%53.7%49.7%39.0%
Bus, train or ferry20.3%26.4%21.2%24.6%20.0%
Walk or cycle4.4%6.3%5.0%5.0%19.8%
Households and families
One-person households17.0%28.2%18.0%29.8%24.1%
Average people per household2.92.52.82.42.6
Households with no motor vehicle4.3%15.4%7.0%11.3%15.2%
Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms)5.7%8.6%4.8%5.1%5.0%
Couples with children (of families)53.0%44.4%50.7%44.5%43.0%
Couples without children34.8%40.5%36.8%43.9%44.8%
One-parent families11.9%15.5%12.5%11.6%12.2%
Homes
Separate (stand-alone) houses83.0%51.6%80.2%61.5%59.7%
Average bedrooms3.32.53.12.72.8
Heated with a heat pump65.3%67.9%66.8%74.2%53.6%
Damp, always or sometimes22.0%24.2%23.6%21.5%22.9%
Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes19.0%17.2%18.2%15.3%16.1%

Sources and limits

Rents around Johnsonville

New tenancies in Johnsonville 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 typical suburb in Wellington City ($625), and slightly above the national median ($600).

April–June 2026Johnsonville West
28% of titles
Johnsonville Central
27% of titles
Johnsonville North
26% of titles
Johnsonville South
19% of titles
New Zealand
Median weekly rent, new tenancies$685$500$630$620$600
Middle half of rents$640–$780$245–$675$550–$690$498–$658$490–$700
Change in median on a year earlier+2.2%+2.0%−3.1%−4.6%+0.2%
Bonds lodged in the quarter2142272440,827

Sources and limits

Schools and hospitals near Johnsonville

LINZ maps 6 school sites inside Johnsonville, among them Johnsonville School (Contributing) and Onslow College (Secondary (Year 9-15)).

Sources and limits

School enrolment zones in Johnsonville: a guide

Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Johnsonville's titles, among them Hutt International Boys School, St Oran's College and Onslow College.

A guide only: check the school's own zone map for any address. Zones as at 14 July 2026. Sources and limits

Public transport in Johnsonville

99% of Johnsonville's titles are within 400 m of a stop with a scheduled weekday service, close to Wellington City as a whole (96%).

52% are that close to a frequent stop (60 or more departures that day), below the council (69%).

74% are within 800 m of a train station or ferry wharf.

The typical title is 155 m in a straight line from its nearest stop.

Timetable of Wednesday 30 September 2026, Metlink (Greater Wellington Regional Council). Sources and limits

Places of worship near Johnsonville

OpenStreetMap maps 5 places of worship inside Johnsonville (5 Christian).

Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:

Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits

Other suburbs in Wellington City with many cross-leases

All suburbs in Wellington City

Suburbs like Johnsonville

The closest match on the measures on this site is Paparangi, Wellington City in Wellington City, nearest on slope, home ownership, distance to the coast. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits

SuburbCouncilCross-lease share of titlesMedian weekly rent, new tenanciesMedian ageClosest on
Paparangi, Wellington CityWellington City5.5%$65036.3slope, home ownership, distance to the coast
KaroriWellington City7.9%No data38.8land per flat, damp homes, near a frequent stop
NewlandsWellington City10.5%$60335.3distance to a hospital, land per flat, distance to the coast
TawaWellington City6.8%$64039.5new titles, distance to the coast, population change
KhandallahWellington City6.6%$73541.6children, distance to the coast, stand-alone houses

Compare suburbs

Questions

What is the rent in Johnsonville?

New tenancies in Johnsonville West (the rent area for part of Johnsonville) 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 $640 to $780.

What schools are in Johnsonville?

LINZ maps 6 school sites inside Johnsonville, including Johnsonville School, Onslow College and Raroa Normal Intermediate. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Wellington Hills Christian College (0.5 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include Hutt International Boys School, St Oran's College and Onslow College; check the school's own zone map for any address.