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Suburb profile · Canterbury · NZ

Woolston South NZ

Woolston South is in Canterbury, New Zealand, with population 492.

The read

Livability-led

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.

$500/wk
1/01/2020 → 1/04/2025 · 11 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/04/2025
$590
$360
1/01/20201/04/2025
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Open matching ranking
Median rent
$500/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
492
492 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$42K/yr
Median personal income
D6 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 8
Higher deprivation
D8 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Christchurch City territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$687K
+33.8% over 5yr
↑3.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$566K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,399
QV-based HPI
↑28.1%5yr
Income to buy
7.7x
Years of median income
Annual sales
9,448
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,184/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
43%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
10.2 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,346
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,036
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,184
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,243

A territorial-authority estimate: the Christchurch City 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 Woolston South-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +3.9%5yr +23.6%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Christchurch City 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 Christchurch City 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 Woolston South, not a Woolston South-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Derived from this suburb's own tenancy-bond rent history
Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2024

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +8.6%/yr · 5-yr +6.8%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$42K personal · yr+1.2% vs Canterbury suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
45
$10,001-$20,000
45
$20,001-$30,000
66
$30,001-$50,000
99
$50,001-$70,000
96
$70,001-$100,000
54
$100,001 or more
21

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

Stats NZ Census 2013-2023
Home ownership over three censuses+2.6pp since 2013
2013
50% owned
2018
49% owned
2023
53% owned

9.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

24% damp (-1pp vs 2018) and 12% with visible mould larger than A4 (-2pp 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

Stats NZ projections · Christchurch City · medium series
407,700 people · 2023445,700 by 2033 (+9.3%)

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

Crime

Christchurch City · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k8,295
Total incidents32,463· 2026-05
  • Assault2,64928%
  • Burglary6,16764%
  • Robbery3944%
  • Sexual Assault4104%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
Low
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
25.0 km
Greendale Fault
Fault slip rate
Low
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Woolston South'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

Inside Airbnb
1
active listings · ~2.0 per 1,000 residents
100%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
100%
run by multi-listing operators

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

Ministry of Education
Total1
Students109
Charter School1
  • Mastery Schools New Zealand - ArapakiFull Primary · Charter School

Stronger alternatives nearby

Similar-rent suburbs in other territorial authorities that rate higher on a metric.

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · cross-TA

Less deprived

lower NZDep decile · cross-TA

Alternatives are similar-rent suburbs (0.6–1.6x this suburb's median rent) in other territorial authorities that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Building activity

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
→0.0%YoY

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
279
Was 291 in 2018
↓4.1%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Woolston South Canterbury — Property Data and Demographics

Woolston South is a small community in Canterbury with a population of 492 and a median age of 40. Median personal income is $42K 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 291 in 2018 to 279 in 2023 (-4.1%), 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 Woolston South is $500 (500 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 62% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Woolston South: NZDep decile 8 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 434; 13 transport stops (13 bus).

In 2026, Woolston South recorded 0 building approvals (0 houses, 0 units), up 0% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability62%↓ Stretched
School QualityEQI 434· Average
DeprivationDecile 8↓ High
Transport Access13 stops· Some Access
Development+0%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/04/2025)$500
House · wk$500
Rent / income61.9%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change+0%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population492
Median age40
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$42,000
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived8/10
NZDep score1032

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European360
Māori66
Asian63
Pacific Peoples27
MELAA9
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction39
Manufacturing36
Retail Trade30
Health Care and Social Assistance27
Professional, Scientific and Technical24
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining6
TransportGTFS
Bus stops13
Hospitals · Christchurch CityMoH
Burwood HospitalPublic Hospital
Christchurch HospitalPublic Hospital
Christchurch Women's HospitalPublic Hospital
Hillmorton HospitalPublic Hospital
The Princess Margaret HospitalPublic Hospital
Nearby in Canterbury12
Sockburn South354Islington960Woolston West1,158Christchurch Central-South858Riccarton East1,107Sydenham West1,350Waltham2,169Sydenham North2,208Addington West2,505Addington East3,003Ensors2,340Dallington2,427
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Woolston South for a first-pass decision.

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 · 1/04/2025 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 1 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 · 13 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
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.

Woolston South FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Woolston South is $500/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 Woolston South?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 62% 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 Woolston South?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Woolston South?

    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 Woolston South 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.

Canterbury

Woolston South sits in Canterbury — explore the region.