Living in Ruakākā: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,213 live property titles in Ruakākā, Whangarei District are almost all freehold (96%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 51 (2.3%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 51
- Share of live titles
- 2.3%
- Live titles in total
- 2,213
- Whangarei District share
- 7.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Whangarei District
- 16 of 16
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 607 of 644
Ruakākā at a glance
Where Ruakākā differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: cross-lease share of titles (lower than 94% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Ruakākā is listed under Whangarei District.
- 2,213 live titles are recorded here, including 51 cross-lease titles (2.3%).
- 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 2.3% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.5% 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 Ruakākā
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,128 | 96.2% |
| Cross lease | 51 | 2.3% |
| Unit title | 12 | 0.5% |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other record types | 22 | 1.0% |
| Total | 2,213 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Ruakākā compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Ruakākā is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Whangarei District as a whole, the share is 7.3%; Ruakākā is well below the overall Whangarei District share (7.3%).
Its cross-lease share is the lowest of 16 in Whangarei District (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Ruakākā are set up
Carports appear in more leases (62% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
Three-flat schemes are less common here (4%, against 12% nationally).
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (4%, against 11% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Ruakākā | Whangarei District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 26 | 1,367 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 92.3% | 65.3% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 3.8% | 19.1% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 3.8% | 15.7% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 793 m² | 920 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 396 m² | 394 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 15.4% | 19.9% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 61.5% | 12.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 3.8% | 1.8% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 30.8% | 30.9% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1985 | 1986 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 18 | 712 | 54,978 |
New titles in Ruakākā since 2020
206 of Ruakākā's current titles (9%) were first issued since 2020, slightly below Whangarei District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (10%) and below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 191 | 81 |
| Unit title | 1 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 1 | 1 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 13 | 13 |
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 Ruakākā
The typical building in Ruakākā stands on ground sloping 1.3° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), 2nd flattest of 16 in Whangarei District.
The land rises from about 0 m to 263 m, and 24% 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 Ruakākā
28% of Ruakākā's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 56% within 500 m and 73% within 1 km. The typical title is 410 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 Ruakākā: 2023 Census
About 80% of Ruakākā's titles are in the census area Ruakākā (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Ruakākā exactly.
Fewer households have no car in Ruakākā than across Whangarei District: 2.8% against 5.2%.
Fewer adults hold a degree in Ruakākā than across Whangarei District: 15.6% against 20.2%.
More residents are 65 or over in Ruakākā than across Whangarei District: 26.5% against 20.9%.
| Measure | Ruakākā | Bream Bay | Whangarei District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,817 | 2,340 | 96,678 |
| Change since 2018 | +8.9% | +13.4% | +6.3% |
| Change since 2013 | +40.4% | +42.1% | +25.6% |
| Median age | 46.3 | 46 | 41.6 |
| Households | 1,095 | 804 | 35,088 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 68.5% | 77.6% | 70.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 31.5% | 22.8% | 29.6% |
| Median household income | $65,200 | $83,800 | $81,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $460 | $383 | $420 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 23.6% | 11.7% | 13.5% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 17.8% | 18.6% | 19.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 13.8% | 13.8% | 16.0% |
| 30 to 64 | 41.9% | 47.8% | 43.3% |
| 65 and over | 26.5% | 19.6% | 20.9% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 16.1% | 16.4% | 18.6% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 16.1% | 16.8% | 18.9% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 50.1% | 45.7% | 45.7% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.4% | 2.9% | 3.4% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 17.1% | 17.0% | 17.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 15.6% | 18.2% | 20.2% |
| Employed full-time | 41.8% | 47.9% | 46.3% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.0% | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 40.0% | 46.7% | 42.9% |
| Median personal income | $33,400 | $37,000 | $36,500 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 17.6% | 28.1% | 17.4% |
| Car, truck or van | 79.3% | 68.1% | 77.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Walk or cycle | 2.4% | 1.2% | 3.7% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 24.2% | 19.9% | 24.7% |
| Average people per household | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 2.8% | 1.3% | 5.2% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 6.1% | 4.5% | 6.3% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 25.4% | 37.1% | 36.2% |
| Couples without children | 53.1% | 51.0% | 44.9% |
| One-parent families | 21.9% | 11.4% | 18.9% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 85.4% | 92.2% | 83.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 68.4% | 43.2% | 60.2% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.2% | 21.6% | 23.1% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 15.3% | 15.9% | 19.4% |
Rents around Ruakākā
New tenancies in Ruakaka in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $590 a week (down 1.7% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Whangarei District ($570), and close to the national median ($600); 2nd highest of 10 in Whangarei District.
| April–June 2026 | Ruakaka | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $590 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $540–$695 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −1.7% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 21 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Ruakākā
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Ruakākā, among them Bream Bay College (Secondary (Year 7-15)) and Ruakākā School (Contributing).
- Bream Bay College (Secondary (Year 7-15))
- Ruakākā School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Bream Bay College (1.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Bream Bay College (1.3 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Whangarei Hospital (20.1 km)
School enrolment zones in Ruakākā: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Ruakākā's titles: Bream Bay College.
- Ruakaka School (primary, Years 1–6): about 95% of titles
- One Tree Point School (primary, Years 1–6): about 20% of titles
- Bream Bay 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 Ruakākā
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Ruakākā (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Encounter Bream Bay, 1.0 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Whangarei District with many cross-leases
- Kensington: 640 cross-lease titles (30.6%)
- Te Kamo: 481 cross-lease titles (9.3%)
- Tikipunga: 329 cross-lease titles (12.1%)
- Raumanga: 308 cross-lease titles (16.6%)
- Avenues: 271 cross-lease titles (27.9%)
- Regent: 227 cross-lease titles (24.8%)
- Woodhill: 158 cross-lease titles (20.4%)
All suburbs in Whangarei District
Suburbs like Ruakākā
The closest match on the measures on this site is Ngunguru in Whangarei District, nearest on median age, commuting by public transport, distance to the coast. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ngunguru | Whangarei District | 5.0% | No data | 46.3 | median age, commuting by public transport, distance to the coast |
| Haruru | Far North District | 5.4% | No data | 48.8 | children, distance to the coast, damp homes |
| Snells Beach | Auckland | 6.0% | $640 | 48.1 | children, schools, distance to the coast |
| Te Aroha | Matamata-Piako District | 3.1% | $560 | 49.2 | commuting by public transport, stand-alone houses, slope |
| Waiuku | Auckland | 8.6% | $615 | 42.5 | unit-title share, distance to the coast, stand-alone houses |
Questions
What is the rent in Ruakākā?
New tenancies in Ruakaka (the rent area for part of Ruakākā) had a median rent of $590 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 $540 to $695.
What schools are in Ruakākā?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Ruakākā: Bream Bay College and Ruakākā School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Bream Bay College (1.3 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Bream Bay College; check the school's own zone map for any address.