Skip to content
Suburb profile · Marlborough · NZ

Blenheim Central NZ

Blenheim Central is in Marlborough, New Zealand, with population 1,200.

The read

Verify-first

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.

$485/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$550
$400
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$485/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
1,200
1K local footprint
D2 vs NZ
Income
$36K/yr
Median personal income
D3 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 9
Higher deprivation
D9 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$644K
+23.3% over 5yr
1.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$532K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,679
QV-based HPI
1.7%5yr
Income to buy
7.9x
Years of median income
Annual sales
987
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$2,985/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
44%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
10.6 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,136
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,846
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$2,985
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,040

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

Price trend

1yr -0.5%5yr +0.9%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

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

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents recovering
Low · 2020Peak · 2022

10.2% below peak rent · 31.1% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr -0.7%/yr · 5-yr +2.4%/yr

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

Personal income

$36K personal · yr-8% vs Marlborough suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
114
$10,001-$20,000
99
$20,001-$30,000
216
$30,001-$50,000
240
$50,001-$70,000
180
$70,001-$100,000
117
$100,001 or more
36

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-2.4pp since 2013
2013
52% owned
2018
51% owned
2023
49% owned

7.1% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (-3pp vs 2018) and 8% with visible mould larger than A4 (-5pp 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

50,800 people · 202353,000 by 2033 (+4.3%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k3,604
Total incidents1,781· 2026-05
  • Assault24235%
  • Burglary38456%
  • Robbery193%
  • Sexual Assault467%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
4.0 km
Wairau Fault
Fault slip rate
Moderate
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Blenheim 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

12
active listings · ~10.0 per 1,000 residents
42%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
83%
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

Total1
Students145
State1
  • Blenheim SchoolContributing · StateZoned

1 of 1 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Livability

78/ 100 livability index

Top 22% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 78% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access95
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

Bgrade · 63/100 · top 37% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 63% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth59
Rental yield44
Stability56

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
1
1 houses · 0 units
50.0%YoY D1 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
666
Was 681 in 2018
2.2%vs 2018 D2 vs NZ

Full data detail

Blenheim Central Marlborough — Property Data and Demographics

Blenheim Central is a small community in Marlborough with a population of 1,200 and a median age of 36. Median personal income is $36K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Pacific Peoples. Marlborough population estimates moved -0.3% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +0.2% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 681 in 2018 to 666 in 2023 (-2.2%), 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 Blenheim Central is $485 (485 houses, 420 units). This represents approximately 70% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Blenheim Central: NZDep decile 9 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 501; 1 hospital nearby.

In 2026, Blenheim Central recorded 1 building approval (1 house, 0 units), down 50% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability70% Stretched
School QualityEQI 501 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 9 High
Development-50% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$485
House · wk$485
Unit · wk$420
Rent / income70.4%
Lodgements36
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)1
Houses1
YoY change-50%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,200
Median age36
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$35,800
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived9/10
NZDep score1071

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European903
Māori246
Pacific Peoples111
Asian102
MELAA27
Top industriesCensus 23
Manufacturing84
Construction81
Administrative and Support78
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing66
Accommodation and Food63
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets2
Pharmacies3
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations6
Cafes & dining17
countdown1
new world1
Hospitals · Marlborough DistrictMoH
Wairau HospitalPublic Hospital · in suburb
Shortlist workspace

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

Current status
Add Blenheim Central 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
Strong evidence

Blenheim 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 · 1 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 · 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.

Blenheim Central FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Blenheim Central is $485/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 Blenheim Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 70% 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 Blenheim Central?

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

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Blenheim 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 Blenheim 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.