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Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

Sumner NZ

Sumner is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 3,411.

Median rent $540/wk Income-stretched rent market
Population 3,411 3K local footprint
Income $51K/yr Median personal income
NZDep Decile 1 Lower deprivation
Decision trust

Strong evidence

Sumner has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Weekly rent, Schools, Building consents, and Demographic baseline. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

4
Available
0
Verify
2
Missing
Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Income and rent use area-level data, so household-level affordability can differ.

Open matching rent ranking
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Current status
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Quick read Canterbury
Suburb verdict

There are enough weaker signals here that you should expect trade-offs, not a clean local story. Compare it directly with stronger nearby suburbs before treating it as a preferred option.

Rent signal

Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income.

Livability read

Rent Affordability: Stretched. School Quality: Average.

Neighbourhood read

Sumner is a small suburb in Canterbury with a population of 3,411 and a median age of 46. Median personal income is $51K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.6% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.9% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,908 in 2018 to 1,920 in 2023 (+0.6%), 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.

Population movement

Canterbury population estimates moved +1.6% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.9% a year from 2018 to 2023. Read that as a broader regional movement backdrop, not suburb-level migration precision.

Jobs signal

The resident employment base moved from 1,908 in 2018 to 1,920 in 2023 (+0.6%, +12). Median personal income is $51K a year. Read this as a stable resident employment-base backdrop across two census snapshots, not a live jobs tracker.

Infrastructure pipeline

Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 infrastructure initiatives from 130 contributors, with more than 2,700 under construction and $12.4b of 2026 spend projected in transport (52% of total pipeline spend). There is no matched local transport-stop count here, so read the infrastructure signal as broader NZ delivery context only. That still helps frame future delivery conditions, but it is not enough to infer a nearby catalyst on its own.

Data confidence

This page combines Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and official service datasets. Check the data-status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

Why people look here
  • Renters and buyers want to know if the suburb looks affordable before diving into charts.
  • Families want a quick read on schools, deprivation, and local service coverage.
  • Researchers want one page that ties Census, rent, transport, and approvals into a single suburb brief.
Local signals
Schools: 2 matched, including Sumner School, Our Lady Star of the Sea School (Christchurch).
Transport: No matched local transport stops.
Hospitals: No matched hospital coverage.
Source & freshness

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
MBIE rental bond data · 1/10/2025 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
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 · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
medium stability · mixed acquisition · mixed refresh · monthly approvals; annual population; census-cycle jobs; quarterly infrastructure snapshot
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.
Evidence depth
Strong evidence

Sumner has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Weekly rent, Schools, Building consents, and Demographic baseline. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

Next step

Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.

Direct
4

Weekly rent, Schools, Building consents, Demographic baseline

Verify
0

No fallback or lower-precision signals flagged.

Missing
2

Hospitals, Transport

Decision intelligence
Livability-led

Sumner currently reads as a livability-led candidate.

Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read. Missing evidence to verify: Transport.

Recommended next step

Compare it against a contrasting suburb before turning it into a decision.

Why it fits

Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

No major caution is visible beyond the normal source checks.

Decisive gaps

Transport

Compare status

Compare-ready

Rent signal

Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income.

Income and rent use area-level data, so household-level affordability can differ.

Weekly rent
$540/wk
Grain
Area-level
Confidence
usable
Source
1/10/2025
$450/wk
1/01/2025 → 1/10/2025 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/10/2025
$688
$393
1/01/20251/10/2025

Sumner FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Sumner?

    The median weekly rent in Sumner is $540/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Sumner?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Sumner?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Sumner show: Stretched, Average, Low. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Sumner?

    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.

  5. How often is the Sumner 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.

Full data detail

Sumner

NZDep 1
Pop 3,411Median age 46Christchurch City

Sumner is a small suburb in Canterbury with a population of 3,411 and a median age of 46. Median personal income is $51K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Canterbury population estimates moved +1.6% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.9% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,908 in 2018 to 1,920 in 2023 (+0.6%), 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.

Median weekly rent in Sumner is $540 (540 houses, 605 units). This represents approximately 56% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Sumner: NZDep decile 1 (low deprivation (affluent)); 2 schools with avg EQI 392.

In 2026, Sumner recorded 1 building approval (1 house, 0 units), down 96.6% year-on-year.

Investment signals
Rent Affordability56% Stretched
School QualityEQI 392 Average
DeprivationDecile 1 Low
Development-97% Slowing
Rental market
Median Rent /wk$540
House Rent /wk$540
Unit Rent /wk$605
Rent-to-Income55.6%
Lodgements33
1/10/2025
Demographics
Population3,411
Median Age46
Household Size
Personal Income$51K/yr
Household Income
Ethnicity
European89.8%
Māori5.5%
Asian2.4%
MELAA1.3%
Pacific Peoples1.0%
Top industries
Professional, Scientific and Technical276
Health Care and Social Assistance255
Construction198
Schools (2)
Avg EQI392
Total Students414
State : Integrated1
State1
Sumner SchoolFull Primary · State · EQI 382 · 311 students
Our Lady Star of the Sea School (Christchurch)Full Primary · State : Integrated · EQI 401 · 103 students
Livability (NZDep 2023) — 1 = least deprived, 10 = most deprived
Deprivation Decile1/10
NZDep Score907
Low deprivation — among the least deprived areas in NZ.
Development
Approvals (2026)1
  Houses1
YoY Change-96.6%
Data status
Demographics
Stats NZ Census 2023 · 2023 · Baseline Census profile
Available
Rent
MBIE bonds · 1/10/2025 · Market bond dataset
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 2 schools matched
Available
NZDep
NZDep 2023 · 2023 · Area deprivation index
Available
Hospitals
Health NZ hospital list
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS feeds · Manual feed source
Missing
Building approvals
Stats NZ building consents · 2026 · Annual consent series
Available
Available means local coverage exists. Verify means coverage is present but confidence is limited. NZ hospitals currently use an official pinned snapshot.
Data: Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023