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Suburb profile · Hawke's Bay · NZ

Hastings Central NZ

Hastings Central is in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, with population 429.

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.

$550/wk
1/01/2020 → 1/01/2026 · 16 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$550
$340
1/01/20201/01/2026
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
$550/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D4 vs NZ
Population
429
429 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$35K/yr
Median personal income
D3 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 10
Higher deprivation
D10 vs NZ
Schools
2
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Hastings District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$692K
+12.2% over 5yr
↑2.5%YoY
Lower quartile
$556K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,828
QV-based HPI
↑1.8%5yr
Income to buy
7.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,216
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,210/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
41%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
9.9 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,373
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,060
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,210
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,269

A territorial-authority estimate: the Hastings 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 Hastings Central-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -1.7%5yr -7.0%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings Central, not a Hastings Central-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Derived from this suburb's own tenancy-bond rent history
Rent cycle positionRents at their peak
Low · 2020Peak · 2026

At / near its highest median rent on record

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +9.4%/yr · 5-yr +2.3%/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
$35K personal · yr-12.7% vs Hawke's Bay suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
45
$10,001-$20,000
36
$20,001-$30,000
75
$30,001-$50,000
78
$50,001-$70,000
75
$70,001-$100,000
42
$100,001 or more
6

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-3.5pp since 2013
2013
34% owned
2018
26% owned
2023
31% owned

15.5% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

20% damp (-5pp vs 2018) and 14% with visible mould larger than A4 (-10pp 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 · Hastings District · medium series
88,000 people · 202395,000 by 2033 (+8.0%)

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

Crime

Hastings District · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k5,609
Total incidents4,822· 2026-05
  • Assault75441%
  • Burglary92751%
  • Robbery613%
  • Sexual Assault814%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
Moderate
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
5.8 km
Tukituki Fault Zone
Fault slip rate
Low
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Hastings Central'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
5
active listings · ~11.7 per 1,000 residents
40%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
60%
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
Total2
Students432
State : Integrated2
  • Taikura Rudolf Steiner SchoolComposite · State : Integrated
  • St Matthew's Primary School (Hastings)Full Primary · State : Integrated

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
249
Was 285 in 2018
↓12.6%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Hastings Central Hawke's Bay — Property Data and Demographics

Hastings Central is a small community in Hawke's Bay with a population of 429 and a median age of 34. Median personal income is $35K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Hawke's Bay population estimates moved -0.1% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +0.5% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 285 in 2018 to 249 in 2023 (-12.6%), 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 Hastings Central is $550 (550 houses, 470 units). This represents approximately 82% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Hastings Central: NZDep decile 10 (high deprivation); 2 schools with avg EQI 436; 15 transport stops (15 bus); 1 hospital nearby.

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

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability82%↓ Stretched
School QualityEQI 436· Average
DeprivationDecile 10↓ High
Transport Access15 stops· Some Access
Development+0%· Steady
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$550
House · wk$550
Unit · wk$470
Rent / income81.7%
Lodgements18
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change+0%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population429
Median age34
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$35,000
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived10/10
NZDep score1126

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European216
Asian111
Māori99
Pacific Peoples39
MELAA15
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance39
Construction30
Accommodation and Food27
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing24
Retail Trade24
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets5
Pharmacies3
GP / clinics6
Fuel stations6
Cafes & dining35
countdown1
new world1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops15
Hospitals · Hastings DistrictMoH
Hawke's Bay HospitalPublic Hospital · in suburb
Nearby in Hawke's Bay12
Havelock North-Central423Flaxmere West2,826Lochain Park2,985Camberley2,403Flaxmere Park2,736Mayfair3,141Karamu1,371Akina Park2,265St Leonards2,610Cornwall Park3,123Raceway Park2,046Queens Square1,944
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Hastings Central carries enough direct local evidence 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 · 1/01/2026 · 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 · 1 hospitals in coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 15 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.

Hastings Central FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Hastings Central is $550/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 Hastings Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 82% 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 Hastings Central?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Hastings Central 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 Hastings Central?

    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 Hastings Central 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.

Hawke's Bay

Hastings Central sits in Hawke's Bay — explore the region.