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Suburb profile · Wellington · NZ

Thorndon South NZ

Thorndon South is in Wellington, New Zealand, with population 1,701.

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

School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal. Transport coverage adds a practical access signal. Lower deprivation supports a livability-led read.

What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median rent
Census rent fallback
Population
1,701
2K local footprint
D4 vs NZ
Income
$68K/yr
Median personal income
D10 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 3
Lower deprivation
D3 vs NZ
Schools
6
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$850K
-2.8% over 5yr
1.2%YoY
Lower quartile
$702K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
2,544
QV-based HPI
19.3%5yr
Income to buy
6.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
2,398
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$3,942/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
35%
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%
$4,143
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$3,759
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$3,942
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$4,016

A territorial-authority estimate: the Wellington 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 Thorndon South-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -3.1%5yr -23.8%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Wellington 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 Wellington 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 Thorndon South, not a Thorndon South-specific sale price.

Personal income

$68K personal · yr+39.6% vs Wellington suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
147
$10,001-$20,000
123
$20,001-$30,000
111
$30,001-$50,000
165
$50,001-$70,000
261
$70,001-$100,000
300
$100,001 or more
456

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+3.0pp since 2013
2013
36% owned
2018
39% owned
2023
39% owned

14.8% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

14% damp (-4pp vs 2018) and 8% with visible mould larger than A4 (-7pp 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

209,800 people · 2023218,100 by 2033 (+4.0%)

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

Crime

Rate · per 100k5,786
Total incidents11,727· 2026-05
  • Assault1,52243%
  • Burglary1,68248%
  • Robbery1284%
  • Sexual Assault1825%

Natural hazards

Earthquake exposure
Very high
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
<1 km
Wellington Fault
Fault slip rate
High
Higher = more active

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Thorndon South'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 · ~7.1 per 1,000 residents
83%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
33%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$251
median nightly (entire home)
18%
estimated occupancy
$18,771
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

Total6
Students11,965
State3
Private : Fully Registered1
State : Integrated2
  • Te Aho o Te Kura PounamuCorrespondence School · State
  • Wellington Girls' CollegeSecondary (Year 9-15) · State
  • Queen Margaret CollegeComposite · Private : Fully RegisteredZoned
  • St Mary's College (Wellington)Secondary (Year 9-15) · State : Integrated
  • Thorndon SchoolFull Primary · State
  • Sacred Heart Cathedral SchoolFull Primary · State : Integrated

1 of 6 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Livability

95/ 100 livability index

Top 5% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 95% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access86
Public transport (8 stops)50
Schools & hospitals100

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 · 27/100 · top 73% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 27% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth0
Rental yield45
Stability89

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
0.0%YoY D1 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,224
Was 1,197 in 2018
2.3%vs 2018 D6 vs NZ

Full data detail

Thorndon South Wellington — Property Data and Demographics

Thorndon South is a small community in Wellington with a population of 1,701 and a median age of 34. Median personal income is $68K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. 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 1,197 in 2018 to 1,224 in 2023 (+2.3%), 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 Thorndon South: NZDep decile 3 (low deprivation (affluent)); 6 schools with avg EQI 409; 8 transport stops (8 bus).

In 2026, Thorndon South recorded 1 building approval (1 house, 0 units), up 0% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
School QualityEQI 409· Average
DeprivationDecile 3 Low
Transport Access8 stops· Some Access
Development+0%· Steady
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)1
Houses1
YoY change+0%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,701
Median age34
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$68,000
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived3/10
NZDep score944

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,233
Asian384
Māori138
Pacific Peoples66
MELAA57
Top industriesCensus 23
Public Administration and Safety402
Professional, Scientific and Technical171
Accommodation and Food78
Education and Training78
Financial and Insurance69
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining11
new world1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops8
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Usable evidence

Thorndon South is usable as a read, though it still needs cross-checking.

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 · 6 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 · 8 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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Thorndon South 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 hospital coverage.

The main gaps on this page are hospital coverage. That means you should avoid treating one sparse reading as the whole suburb story.

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

Start with the region hub, compare view, or nearby better-covered suburbs before treating this page as a full market decision.

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

Use this page to frame the locality, then pressure-test the story with compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as complete.

Stronger nearby reads

If Thorndon South feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Courtenay most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop same · adds rent coverage · income -$3K

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

Houghton Bay most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop -100 · adds rent coverage · income -$6K

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

Brooklyn South most similar
similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale similar income profile

pop +200 · adds rent coverage · income -$5K

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

Thorndon South FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the livability profile for Thorndon South?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Thorndon South show: Average, Low, Some Access. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  2. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Thorndon South?

    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 Thorndon South 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.