Skip to content
Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

Opua (Mackenzie District) NZ

Opua (Mackenzie District) is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 1,398.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

Why it fits

Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
Census rent fallback
Population
1,398
1K local footprint
D3 vs NZ
Income
$44K/yr
Median personal income
D6 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 4
Mid-range deprivation
D4 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$673K
+26.7% over 5yr
1.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$559K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
5,548
QV-based HPI
29.5%5yr
Income to buy
8.3x
Years of median income
Annual sales
143
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,121/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
46%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
11.0 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,280
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,976
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,121
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,180

A territorial-authority estimate: the MacKenzie District median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a Opua (Mackenzie District)-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +12.4%5yr +34.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the MacKenzie District territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the MacKenzie District territorial authority (as at 2026-03). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Opua (Mackenzie District), not a Opua (Mackenzie District)-specific sale price.

Personal income

$44K personal · yr+6% vs Canterbury suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
165
$10,001-$20,000
132
$20,001-$30,000
126
$30,001-$50,000
177
$50,001-$70,000
225
$70,001-$100,000
156
$100,001 or more
114

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Home ownership over three censuses-3.2pp since 2013
2013
72% owned
2018
67% owned
2023
69% owned

16.8% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

17% damp (+2pp vs 2018) and 6% with visible mould larger than A4 (-0pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

5,300 people · 20235,990 by 2033 (+13.0%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for Mackenzie District — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Rate · per 100k1,953
Total incidents100· 2026-05
  • Assault2020%
  • Burglary2121%
  • Theft5555%
  • Sexual Assault44%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
5.7 km
Albury Fault

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Opua (Mackenzie District)'s centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer.

Short-term rentals

75
active listings · ~53.6 per 1,000 residents
71%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
49%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$302
median nightly (entire home)
34%
estimated occupancy
$36,772
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Schools

Total2
Students42
State2
  • Albury SchoolContributing · State
  • Cannington SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

36/ 100 livability index

Top 64% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 36% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access38
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals70

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within New Zealand suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Investment grade

Fgrade · 19/100 · top 81% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 19% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth67
Rental yield9
Stability17

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
4
3 houses · 1 units
20.0%YoY D6 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
840
Was 825 in 2018
1.8%vs 2018 D4 vs NZ

Full data detail

Opua (Mackenzie District) Canterbury — Property Data and Demographics

Opua (Mackenzie District) is a small community in Canterbury with a population of 1,398 and a median age of 40. Median personal income is $44K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.1% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.1% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 825 in 2018 to 840 in 2023 (+1.8%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Livability indicators for Opua (Mackenzie District): NZDep decile 4 (moderate deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 448.

In 2026, Opua (Mackenzie District) recorded 4 building approvals (3 houses, 1 unit), down 20% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
School QualityEQI 448· Average
DeprivationDecile 4· Moderate
Development-20%· Steady
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)4
Houses 75%Units 25%
YoY change-20%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,398
Median age40
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$44,000
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived4/10
NZDep score953

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,299
Māori114
Asian27
Pacific Peoples9
MELAA9
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing363
Construction60
Retail Trade48
Education and Training48
Manufacturing45
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining2
Shortlist workspace

Save suburbs here while you browse. Once the shortlist has two or more names, hand it straight into compare.

Current status
Add Opua (Mackenzie District) if it deserves a shortlist slot.

No saved NZ suburbs yet.

EMPTY SET

No saved suburbs yet. Start with one ranking or suburb page, then compare once you have two candidates.

Open rankings to save the first candidates.

Sources & freshness
Thin evidence

Opua (Mackenzie District) is a thin local read, not a complete suburb verdict.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
Stats NZ Census 2023 · No linked local rent source
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Missing
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Available
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Opua (Mackenzie District) still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is missing a direct local rent signal.

That leaves the page relying more on Census and service context than on a stronger market read.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across hospital coverage and transport stops.

The main gaps on this page are hospital coverage and transport stops. That means you should avoid treating one sparse reading as the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

Begin with the region hub, compare, or better-covered nearby suburbs before making this a full market decision.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Use this page to frame the locality, then pressure-test the story with compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as complete.

Stronger nearby reads

If Opua (Mackenzie District) feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Mackenzie Lakes most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -300 · income same $ · NZDep same

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Twizel most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop +300 · income -$3K · NZDep same

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Fairlie most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -500 · adds rent coverage · income -$8K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Opua (Mackenzie District) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Opua (Mackenzie District)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Opua (Mackenzie District) show: Average, Moderate, Steady. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Opua (Mackenzie District)?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  3. How often is the Opua (Mackenzie District) data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.