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Suburb profile · Wellington · NZ

Petone Esplanade NZ

Petone Esplanade is in Wellington, New Zealand, with population 2,571.

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.

$625/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$680
$180
1/04/20211/01/2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

Median rent
$660/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D7 vs NZ
Population
2,571
3K local footprint
D7 vs NZ
Income
$52K/yr
Median personal income
D9 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 6
Mid-range deprivation
D6 vs NZ
Schools
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$692K
-2.1% over 5yr
0.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$575K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,088
QV-based HPI
19.0%5yr
Income to buy
6.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
1,522
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
36%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
8.5 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 Lower Hutt 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 Petone Esplanade-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -4.6%5yr -26.4%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Lower Hutt 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 Lower Hutt 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 Petone Esplanade, not a Petone Esplanade-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents rising
Low · 2021Peak · 2024

3.5% below peak rent · 247.2% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr -0.3%/yr · 5-yr +28.3%/yr

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

Personal income

$52K personal · yr+6.2% vs Wellington suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
267
$10,001-$20,000
222
$20,001-$30,000
255
$30,001-$50,000
333
$50,001-$70,000
351
$70,001-$100,000
345
$100,001 or more
450

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+2.1pp since 2013
2013
54% owned
2018
54% owned
2023
56% owned

8.2% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

18% damp (-4pp vs 2018) and 13% with visible mould larger than A4 (-4pp 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

111,500 people · 2023119,500 by 2033 (+7.2%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k7,323
Total incidents7,876· 2026-05
  • Assault85934%
  • Burglary1,54461%
  • Robbery532%
  • Sexual Assault783%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
1.5 km
Wellington Fault
Fault slip rate
High
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Petone Esplanade'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

17
active listings · ~6.6 per 1,000 residents
88%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
35%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$266
median nightly (entire home)
32%
estimated occupancy
$26,200
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.

Livability

57/ 100 livability index

Top 43% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 57% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access90
Public transport (10 stops)60
Schools & hospitals0

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

Dgrade · 38/100 · top 62% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 38% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth2
Rental yield52
Stability86

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
1
0 houses · 1 units
90.0%YoY D1 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,575
Was 1,551 in 2018
1.5%vs 2018 D8 vs NZ

Full data detail

Petone Esplanade Wellington — Property Data and Demographics

Petone Esplanade is a small suburb in Wellington with a population of 2,571 and a median age of 38. Median personal income is $52K 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 1,551 in 2018 to 1,575 in 2023 (+1.5%), 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 Petone Esplanade is $660 (660 houses, 540 units). This represents approximately 66% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Petone Esplanade: NZDep decile 6 (moderate deprivation); 10 transport stops (10 bus).

In 2026, Petone Esplanade recorded 1 building approval (0 houses, 1 unit), down 90% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability66% Stretched
DeprivationDecile 6· Moderate
Transport Access10 stops· Some Access
Development-90% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$660
House · wk$660
Unit · wk$540
Rent / income66.4%
Lodgements72
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)1
Units1
YoY change-90%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,571
Median age38
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$51,700
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived6/10
NZDep score994

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,776
Māori483
Asian423
Pacific Peoples231
MELAA54
Top industriesCensus 23
Public Administration and Safety252
Professional, Scientific and Technical195
Construction141
Education and Training123
Health Care and Social Assistance117
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies2
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations2
Cafes & dining23
TransportGTFS
Bus stops10
Hospitals · Lower Hutt CityMoH
Hutt HospitalPublic Hospital
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Petone Esplanade 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 · 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 · 10 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.

Petone Esplanade FAQ

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

    The median weekly rent in Petone Esplanade is $660/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 Petone Esplanade?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 66% 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 Petone Esplanade?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Petone Esplanade show: Stretched, Moderate, Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Petone Esplanade?

    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 Petone Esplanade 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.