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Suburb profile · Waikato · NZ

Ngakuru NZ

Ngakuru is in Waikato, New Zealand, with population 1,878.

The read

Growth-momentum

The page gives you enough to keep this suburb in view, but not enough to make a fast conviction call. Use compare mode or the region hub to see whether the mixed picture still holds up against alternatives.

Why it fits

Approvals activity points to active development pressure. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal.

Median rent
$200/wk
Rent context available
D1 vs NZ
Population
1,878
2K local footprint
D4 vs NZ
Income
$50K/yr
Median personal income
D8 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 6
Mid-range deprivation
D6 vs NZ
Schools
4
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$602K
+14.3% over 5yr
2.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$510K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,051
QV-based HPI
6.6%5yr
Income to buy
7.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
767
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$2,792/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
39%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
9.4 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$2,934
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$2,662
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$2,792
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$2,844

A territorial-authority estimate: the Rotorua 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 Ngakuru-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr +2.2%5yr -1.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Rotorua 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 Rotorua 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 Ngakuru, not a Ngakuru-specific sale price.

Personal income

$50K personal · yr+16.4% vs Waikato suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
198
$10,001-$20,000
123
$20,001-$30,000
150
$30,001-$50,000
255
$50,001-$70,000
285
$70,001-$100,000
243
$100,001 or more
192

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+4.3pp since 2013
2013
64% owned
2018
64% owned
2023
69% owned

9.2% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

19% damp (-5pp vs 2018) and 13% 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

76,600 people · 202381,100 by 2033 (+5.9%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k9,669
Total incidents7,161· 2026-05
  • Assault73230%
  • Burglary1,55564%
  • Robbery693%
  • Sexual Assault582%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Very high
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
<1 km
Maleme Fault (Zone)

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Ngakuru'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

24
active listings · ~12.8 per 1,000 residents
83%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
25%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$286
median nightly (entire home)
44%
estimated occupancy
$40,947
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

Total4
Students226
State4
  • Waikite Valley SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Ngakuru SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Upper Atiamuri SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Horohoro SchoolFull Primary · State

Livability

69/ 100 livability index

Top 31% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 69% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access0
Public transport (1 stops)18
Schools & hospitals96

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 · 67/100 · top 33% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 67% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth38
Rental yield63
Stability78

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.

Stronger alternatives nearby

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

Latest consents
4
4 houses · 0 units
300.0%YoY D6 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,101
Was 1,068 in 2018
3.1%vs 2018 D5 vs NZ

Full data detail

Ngakuru Waikato — Property Data and Demographics

Ngakuru is a small community in Waikato with a population of 1,878 and a median age of 36. Median personal income is $50K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Waikato population estimates moved +1.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +2.0% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,068 in 2018 to 1,101 in 2023 (+3.1%), 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 Ngakuru is $200 (200 houses, 0 units). This represents approximately 21% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Ngakuru: NZDep decile 6 (moderate deprivation); 4 schools with avg EQI 480; 1 transport stop (1 bus).

In 2026, Ngakuru recorded 4 building approvals (4 houses, 0 units), up 300% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability21% Affordable
School QualityEQI 480 Below Average
DeprivationDecile 6· Moderate
Transport Access1 stops· Some Access
Development+300% Accelerating
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/04/2021)$200
House · wk$200
Rent / income20.9%
Lodgements12
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)4
Houses4
YoY change+300%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,878
Median age36
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$49,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived6/10
NZDep score985

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,629
Māori417
Asian57
Pacific Peoples36
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing381
Manufacturing84
Education and Training78
Construction75
Professional, Scientific and Technical72
Area & amenity
TransportGTFS
Bus stops1
Hospitals · Rotorua DistrictMoH
Rotorua HospitalPublic Hospital
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Ngakuru 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 · 1/04/2021 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 4 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 · 1 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.

Ngakuru FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Ngakuru is $200/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Ngakuru?

    Rent context available: Ngakuru has usable rent context. 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 Ngakuru?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Ngakuru show: Affordable, Below Average, Moderate. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Ngakuru?

    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 Ngakuru 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.