Living in Tawhero: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,135 live property titles in Tawhero, Whanganui District are almost all freehold (88%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 105 (9.3%), close to the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 105
- Share of live titles
- 9.3%
- Live titles in total
- 1,135
- Whanganui District share
- 6.6%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Whanganui District
- 3 of 10
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 347 of 644
Tawhero at a glance
Where Tawhero differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: homes with a heat pump (lower than 91% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Tawhero is listed under Whanganui District.
- 1,135 live titles are recorded here, including 105 cross-lease titles (9.3%).
- 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 9.3% 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 Tawhero
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 995 | 87.7% |
| Cross lease | 105 | 9.3% |
| Unit title | 10 | 0.9% |
| Leasehold | 17 | 1.5% |
| Other record types | 8 | 0.7% |
| Total | 1,135 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Tawhero compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Tawhero is close to the national share (8.7%).
Across Whanganui District as a whole, the share is 6.6%; Tawhero is higher than the overall Whanganui District share (6.6%).
Its cross-lease share is 3rd highest of 10 in Whanganui District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Tawhero are set up
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (2% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Carports appear in more leases (24% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
More leases include a garage (41% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Tawhero | Whanganui District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 42 | 602 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 71.4% | 67.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 16.7% | 14.1% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 11.9% | 18.1% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 790 m² | 863 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 346 m² | 344 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 40.5% | 49.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 23.8% | 21.3% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 2.4% | 2.0% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 26.2% | 20.9% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1988 | 1985 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 17 | 236 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Tawhero
Unit titles are 1% of Tawhero's titles, well below Whanganui District (3%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 5 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
17 titles (1.5%) are leasehold.
Most stated terms have more than 50 years to run.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 0 |
| Under 10 years left | 0 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 10 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 7 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 0 |
New titles in Tawhero since 2020
70 of Tawhero's current titles (6%) were first issued since 2020, below Whanganui District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (8%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
Most came recently: 50 since 2023.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 63 | 48 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 7 | 2 |
| 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 Tawhero
The typical building in Tawhero stands on ground sloping 1.1° (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 Tawhero
Tawhero 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 Tawhero: 2023 Census
Tawhero's titles fall in 4 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 3 shown below hold 95% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Titoki than across Whanganui District: 11.5% against 17.6%.
Fewer workers work from home in Titoki than across Whanganui District: 10.3% against 14.0%.
| Measure | Titoki 43% of titles | Gonville North 36% of titles | Springvale West 16% of titles | Whanganui District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 3,066 | 2,652 | 1,608 | 47,619 |
| Change since 2018 | +7.9% | +3.4% | +1.5% | +5.1% |
| Change since 2013 | +24.0% | +11.5% | +10.3% | +13.0% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 37.5 | 48.1 | 42.9 |
| Households | 1,122 | 1,062 | 684 | 18,726 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 65.8% | 57.3% | 80.3% | 70.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 34.5% | 42.4% | 19.7% | 29.6% |
| Median household income | $59,600 | $57,100 | $62,300 | $63,600 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $350 | $305 | $420 | $340 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.0% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 8.1% |
| Ages | ||||
| Under 15 | 22.2% | 20.8% | 17.0% | 19.0% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.4% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
| 30 to 64 | 41.0% | 42.4% | 39.0% | 42.4% |
| 65 and over | 19.5% | 17.6% | 30.0% | 22.3% |
| Where people came from | ||||
| Born overseas | 11.5% | 12.7% | 16.3% | 13.5% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 9.6% | 16.4% | 24.4% | 18.4% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 47.2% | 43.5% | 35.0% | 43.3% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 2.3% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 16.9% | 13.6% | 13.5% | 16.4% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 11.5% | 15.5% | 16.8% | 17.6% |
| Employed full-time | 41.1% | 45.8% | 41.3% | 42.8% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 4.0% | 4.9% | 2.9% | 3.7% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 32.9% | 34.9% | 38.3% | 39.1% |
| Median personal income | $31,100 | $32,400 | $33,200 | $32,500 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||||
| Work from home | 10.3% | 11.4% | 7.1% | 14.0% |
| Car, truck or van | 81.0% | 78.5% | 88.5% | 78.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Walk or cycle | 6.0% | 8.7% | 2.8% | 6.0% |
| Households and families | ||||
| One-person households | 29.4% | 36.6% | 30.7% | 32.1% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 8.6% | 12.2% | 4.2% | 8.1% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 7.7% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 5.1% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 32.8% | 37.3% | 32.9% | 33.9% |
| Couples without children | 36.9% | 35.4% | 52.9% | 43.6% |
| One-parent families | 30.3% | 27.4% | 14.2% | 22.5% |
| Homes | ||||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 87.5% | 79.7% | 91.7% | 84.6% |
| Average bedrooms | 3 | 2.8 | 3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 53.3% | 47.5% | 52.1% | 48.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 22.5% | 20.7% | 14.8% | 20.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 19.4% | 18.7% | 11.3% | 15.7% |
Rents around Tawhero
New tenancies in Titoki in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $570 a week (up 2.7% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Whanganui District ($530), and close to the national median ($600); the highest of 6 in Whanganui District.
| April–June 2026 | Titoki 43% of titles | Gonville North 36% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $570 | $495 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $520–$585 | $399–$565 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +2.7% | +4.7% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 27 | 18 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Tawhero
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Tawhero, among them Arahunga School (Specialist School) and Carlton School (Contributing).
- Arahunga School (Specialist School)
- Carlton School (Contributing)
- St Marcellin School (Wanganui) (Full Primary)
- Tawhero School (Contributing)
- Te Kura Waenga o Rutherford | Rutherford Intermediate School (Intermediate)
- Nearest school: Arahunga School (0.1 km)
- Nearest secondary school: St Dominic's College (0.6 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Whanganui Hospital (1.7 km)
School enrolment zones in Tawhero: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Tawhero's titles: Wanganui Collegiate School.
- Carlton School (primary, Years 1–6): about 40% of titles
- Mosston School (primary, Years 1–6): about 5% of titles
- Wanganui Collegiate 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 Tawhero
No place of worship is mapped in OpenStreetMap inside Tawhero's boundary.
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St Anthony's, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Masjid e Bilal - Wanganui Islamic Centre, 5.1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Whanganui District with many cross-leases
- Springvale: 309 cross-lease titles (15.2%)
- Whanganui: 305 cross-lease titles (10.1%)
- Wanganui East: 232 cross-lease titles (8.8%)
- Gonville: 214 cross-lease titles (8.5%)
- Castlecliff: 137 cross-lease titles (5.1%)
- Aramoho: 117 cross-lease titles (6.0%)
- Saint Johns Hill: 66 cross-lease titles (6.4%)
- College Estate: 34 cross-lease titles (8.2%)
All suburbs in Whanganui District
Suburbs like Tawhero
The closest match on the measures on this site is Gonville in Whanganui District, nearest on new titles, land per flat, working from home. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonville | Whanganui District | 8.5% | $550 | 41.7 | new titles, land per flat, working from home |
| Wanganui East | Whanganui District | 8.8% | $520 | 42.3 | damp homes, land per flat, household income |
| Aramoho | Whanganui District | 6.0% | $510 | 39.6 | born overseas, unit-title share, elevation |
| Castlecliff | Whanganui District | 5.1% | No data | 34.4 | commuting by public transport, unit-title share, population change |
| College Estate | Whanganui District | 8.2% | No data | 42.2 | land per flat, household income, distance to a hospital |
Questions
What is the rent in Tawhero?
New tenancies in Titoki (the rent area for part of Tawhero) had a median rent of $570 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 $520 to $585.
What schools are in Tawhero?
LINZ maps 5 school sites inside Tawhero, including Arahunga School, Carlton School and St Marcellin School (Wanganui). The nearest secondary school to its centre is St Dominic's College (0.6 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Wanganui Collegiate School; check the school's own zone map for any address.