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Suburb profile · Wellington · NZ

Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) NZ

Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) is in Wellington, New Zealand, with population 621.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

Why it fits

Approvals activity points to active development pressure. Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

See what's missing → Compare suburb
Median rent
—
Census rent fallback
Population
621
621 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$40K/yr
Median personal income
D5 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 4
Mid-range deprivation
D4 vs NZ
Schools
—
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Kapiti Coast District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$760K
+5.7% over 5yr
↓2.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$635K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,619
QV-based HPI
↓7.9%5yr
Income to buy
9.0x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,036
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,525/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
50%
of gross household income
Stress level
Severe
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
12.0 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$3,704
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,361
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,525
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$3,591

A territorial-authority estimate: the Kapiti Coast 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 Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District)-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -1.2%5yr -11.2%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Kapiti Coast 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 Kapiti Coast 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 Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District), not a Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District)-specific sale price.

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$40K personal · yr-18.9% vs Wellington suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
54
$10,001-$20,000
75
$20,001-$30,000
78
$30,001-$50,000
87
$50,001-$70,000
78
$70,001-$100,000
69
$100,001 or more
72

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-2.0pp since 2013
2013
88% owned
2018
84% owned
2023
86% owned

9.4% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (+2pp vs 2018) and 14% 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

Stats NZ projections · Kapiti Coast District · medium series
57,500 people · 202360,500 by 2033 (+5.2%)

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

Crime

Kapiti Coast District · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k4,435
Total incidents2,480· 2026-05
  • Assault23726%
  • Burglary59966%
  • Robbery273%
  • Sexual Assault435%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
3.5 km
Northern Ohariu Fault
Fault slip rate
Moderate
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District)'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
7
active listings · ~11.3 per 1,000 residents
100%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
57%
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.

Investment grade

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Fgrade · 14/100 · top 86% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 14% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth16
Rental yield36
Stability36

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

Stats NZ building consents · 2026
Latest consents
2
2 houses · 0 units
↑100.0%YoY D4 vs NZ

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
309
Was 318 in 2018
↓2.8%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) Wellington — Property Data and Demographics

Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) is a small community in Wellington with a population of 621 and a median age of 53. Median personal income is $40K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. Wellington population estimates moved +0.0% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +1.0% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 318 in 2018 to 309 in 2023 (-2.8%), 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.

Livability indicators for Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District): NZDep decile 4 (moderate deprivation).

In 2026, Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) recorded 2 building approvals (2 houses, 0 units), up 100% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
DeprivationDecile 4· Moderate
Development+100%↑ Accelerating
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)2
Houses2
YoY change+100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population621
Median age53
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$39,500
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived4/10
NZDep score956

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European555
Māori132
Asian21
Pacific Peoples9
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Construction39
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing33
Professional, Scientific and Technical30
Education and Training30
Health Care and Social Assistance24
Nearby in Wellington12
Peka Peka702Otaihanga855Maungakotukutuku1,416Te Horo1,560Waikanae West4,755Waitohu1,251Paraparaumu North3,576Paraparaumu Beach East2,673Raumati Beach East2,319Waikanae Beach3,249Raumati South3,780Waikanae East2,535
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Thin evidence

Treat Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) as a thin local read, not a complete suburb verdict.

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
Stats NZ Census 2023 · No linked local rent source
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Missing
Schools
MoE school directory · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is missing a direct local rent signal.

That leaves the page relying more on Census and service context than on a stronger market read.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops.

Coverage is thinner on school matches, hospital coverage, and transport stops; don't let a single sparse read define the suburb.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

Use the region hub, compare, or nearby better-covered suburbs first, before treating this as a complete market read.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Frame the locality with this page, then pressure-test the story in compare, the region hub, or a better-covered nearby suburb before calling it complete.

Next step path
COMPARE OR CHECK NEARBY Open region hub Browse rankings
Stronger nearby reads

If Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Peka Peka better covered
similar suburb scale similar income profile better local coverage

pop +100 · adds rent coverage · income +$7K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Detail Compare
Otaihanga most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop +200 · income +$5K · NZDep -1

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Detail Compare
Maungakotukutuku better covered
similar deprivation profile similar income profile better local coverage

pop +800 · adds rent coverage · income +$5K

Better covered alternative: use this as the stronger reference point before judging the thin page.

Detail Compare

Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) show: Moderate, Accelerating. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District)?

    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.

  3. How often is the Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) 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.

Wellington

Forest Lakes (Kapiti Coast District) sits in Wellington — explore the region.