Local Housing Statistics
This page provides indicators of housing need, rental affordability, and home ownership affordability in each of New Zealand’s 67 territorial authorities.
You can see a detailed breakdown of these statistics over time and see how each territorial authority compares to the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This dashboard is refreshed monthly with the latest statistics available.
About the dashboard
The information in the Local Housing Statistics dashboard is displayed across multiple tabs.
The tabs include:
- Key Data – provides a summary of all the measures and metrics featured in the dashboard for the selected area. These are static numbers, generally showing the latest information available.
- Outcomes – provides a view of some measures and metrics through a visual means, such as a chart. Generally, this shows how a measure or metric has changed over time for that selected area.
- Comparison – provides a comparison of some measures and metrics for the selected area, against other selectable areas.
Using the Local Housing Statistics dashboard
The Local Housing Statistics dashboard provides information about housing at a local level. For the purpose of this dashboard, ‘local’ is defined as a territorial authority, or TA. For more information about territorial authorities, see ‘Territorial Authorities (TAs)’ below.
Several tabs are included in the Local Housing Statistics dashboard. Each tab can be used in a different way to help provide housing information for a selected area.
For all tabs, you must select the area you want information for from the drop-down menu at the top right of the page. These are listed alphabetically. Only one TA can be selected at a time. Once you have selected the TA you are interested in, the information on the page will change to reflect your selection.
Key Data tab
This tab will provide the latest available static summary of all the measures and metrics featured in the Local Housing Statistics dashboard. Some measures and metrics may include the change compared to previous dates.
Scroll down the page to see all the information available for the selected area. Further information is available for some of the measures and metrics via tooltips. To access this information, hover your mouse pointer over the number on screen.
Outcomes tab
This tab features a range of different charts that show how some of the measures and metrics of housing data have changed over time. In some of these outcomes, the area selected is compared against the national or total figure.
For other outcomes, a date slider is available to modify the start and end dates of the displayed chart. Further information is available for some of the metrics via tooltips. To access this information, hover your mouse pointer over the number on screen.
Comparisons tab
This tab shows a comparison of the selected territorial authority against other territorial authorities for some measures and metrics. This information is displayed via a column chart with the left most side of the chart representing the least positive result, and the right side representing the most positive. What is considered a positive result is explained in the metric itself.
The selected area will be highlighted yellow to make it stand out from the other columns. In some instances, the data for a selected area will be suppressed for privacy reasons – in this case they will be represented by an ‘S’ rather than a column. Further information is available for some of the metrics via tooltips. To access this information, hover your mouse pointer over the number on screen.
Local Housing Statistics data download
For easy ad-hoc analysis of measures featured on this dashboard, we have created a data download file linked below. This .xlsx file encompasses comprehensive statistics from all previous months featured in the dashboard.
Within this sheet, please read the “Instructions” tab on how to filter and use the data appropriately.
About the metrics
Housing Needs
These metrics consider the number of households that have a severe need for suitable and sustainable housing. This is measured in two ways.
The first is through the use of Severe Housing Deprivation statistics, which produced an estimate of New Zealand’s homeless population, using 2023 Census data. This data is sourced from the Stats NZ Aotearoa Data Explorer(external link).
The second is through the use of the Housing Register, a register of households that wish to access a social home and who:
- are considered at risk, including households with a severe and persistent housing need that must be addressed immediately, or
- have a serious housing need including households with a significant and persistent need.
The Housing Register is a part of the Social Housing Register(external link). The Social Housing Register is made up of the Housing Register and the Transfer Register.
The severe housing needs metric featured in Local Housing Statistics includes:
- the number of people on the Housing Register within the selected area. Each application is made by an individual but represents a household living in the area that has applied for, been found eligible, and is in need of a social home.
- the number of people on the Housing Register per 10,000 population of the selected area. This metric considers the total population in the selected area, divides that by 10,000 and then divides that again by the number of people on the Housing Register in the same selected area.
- the number of people severely housing deprived per 10,000 population of the selected area. This metric considers the total population in the selected area, divides that 10,000 and divides that by the total number of people estimated as severely housing deprived by the severe housing deprivation estimate for the selected area. Severely deprived is indicated by the sum of the number of households that either live "without shelter", live in "temporary accommodation", live in "shared accommodation", or live in "uninhabitable housing".
Find out more about the Housing Register(external link)
Who can get public housing – Work and Income(external link)
Apply for public housing – Work and Income(external link)
Data source: Data on the Social Housing Register is provided by the Ministry of Social Development. The 2023 severe housing deprivation (homelessness) estimate is available on the Stats NZ Aotearoa Data Explorer(external link). Population estimates are provided by Stats NZ.
Rental affordability and stress
These metrics consider the amount of income spent on rent within a selected area. These metrics help provide some indication of the relative affordability of renting and the percentage of households that may be experiencing rental stress within the selected area.
Rental affordability and stress metrics in Local Housing Statistics include:
- households whose rent is equal to, or more than, a percentage of their income. Uses data provided through Census that compares the amount of income spent on housing costs by renting households, specifically considering where 30%, 40%, or 50% of income is spent.
- the average weekly rent from tenancies started during the month reported. The average in this instance is the geometric mean.
- the lower quartile weekly rent from tenancies started during the month reported. The Lower Quartile (LQ) rent is the 25th percentile of weekly rent.
- the annual change in rental affordability. This metric is part of the Changes in Housing Affordability Indicators and compares annual change in the Rent Price Index for new tenancies with the change in a modelled median annual disposable household income from the selected area. Find out more about the Change in Housing Affordability Indicators (CHAI) tool here(external link).
Statistical summaries (rent prices) are based on bonds information lodged and held by Tenancy Services at the month of reporting. It is important to note that market data is subject to historical revision.
We advise using changes to Rent Price Index (RPI) over time rather than comparing changes in average rent prices, as average rent prices can vary in composition over time.
Find out more about Stats NZ rental price index (RPI)(external link)
Find out more about rental bond data here(external link)
Find out more about the Change in Housing Affordability Indicators (CHAI) tool here(external link)
Data source: Data on rental stress is determined from Stats NZ Census data. Data on rental affordability is provided by Tenancy Services / Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Data on the annual change in rental affordability is provided by Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga (HUD).
Home Sales
These measures consider the number of sales of residential homes and the prices associated with these sales within the selected area. The sales price and the volume of sales are derived from the private market sales of properties categorised as houses, townhouses, apartments, and flats. Statistics on sales are based on a years’ worth of property sales.
Homes sales metrics in Local Housing Statistics include:
- the median sale price of homes in the selected area. This represents the 50th percentile of determined sales price of home sales which means that half of all property sales in the selected area will be higher than the median sale price and half will be lower. The data for this measure is based on 3-month rolling time period for 'residential dwellings' which includes houses, apartments, flats and townhouses only.
- the lower quartile (LQ) sale price of homes in the selected area which represents the 25th percentile of determined sales price of home sales. This means that a quarter of all property sales in the selected area will be lower than the lower quarter sales price. The data for this measure is based on 3-month rolling time period for 'residential dwellings' which includes houses, apartments, flats and townhouses only.
- the number of home sales. This figure helps provide context to the median and lower quartile sales prices. A low number of sales in a selected area may influence the reliability of the median and lower quartile sale prices. The data for this metric is based on 12-month rolling time period for 'residential dwellings' which includes houses, apartments, flats and townhouses only. We advise using changes to House Price Index (HPI) over time rather than comparing changes in average house prices, as average house prices can vary in composition over time. The Cotality HPI is published as part of the Change in Housing Affordability Indicators.
Please to note that market data is subject to historical revision.
Data source: Data on the sales of homes is provided by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).
Māori Housing Outcomes
These measures and metrics highlight two different but important aspects of housing. This includes the degree to which Māori households may be in the groups of households where there are an insufficient number of bedrooms for the number of people living there and the rate of home ownership for individuals who are Māori.
Māori housing outcomes in Local Housing Statistics include:
- the number of Māori living in crowded and non-crowded housing. For this measure, a crowded household is where one or more additional bedrooms were needed to accommodate all residents. Severe crowding is where two or more bedrooms were needed. It is important to recognise that the housing needs of Māori can differ from other groups. For example, Māori often need to accommodate more people in their household, reflecting both larger whānau sizes and strong values around manaakitanga, which includes welcoming and accommodating extended whānau and other visitors. The measure of crowding used here is only applied to the people who are usually resident in the household and does not include visitors. See ‘Crowding’ below for more information about the nature of this metric.
- the proportion of Māori and non-Māori individuals that own, or partly own, the home they are in. Uses Census data to measure whether an individual who is Māori owned or partly owned the dwelling they usually lived in. It relates to all people aged 15 years and over who lived in New Zealand, including those who lived in private dwellings and those who lived in non-private dwellings, such as public housing.
Data source: Data on the experience of crowding and the rate of individual home ownership is provided by Stats NZ.
Home ownership affordability
These metrics consider costs of home ownership within a selected area. It considers three separate measures that each provide some indication as to how the affordability of home ownership may have changed over time in the selected area.
Home ownership affordability metrics in Local Housing Statistics include:
- the median-median ratio in the selected area since 2001. This metric uses a modelled median annual disposable household income compared to the median property sales price to provide an indication as to whether this ratio is growing or getting smaller.
- how deposit affordability has changed in the selected area over time. This metric compares the rate change of the House Price Index to the rate of change of the median annual disposable household income over time. Visibility over how the affordability of a deposit is changing can help outline what challenges households may be facing regarding the entry into home ownership. This metric shows how affordability is improving or worsening in an area but not how affordable an area is at a point in time.
- how mortgage serviceability has changed in the selected area over the previous year. This metric compares the rate of change in the house purchasing power – that is the effect of mortgage interest rates interacting with house prices – to the rate of change in the median annual disposable household income over time. Visibility over how the serviceability of a mortgage is changing can help outline what challenges households may face, not only when they enter home ownership and need to service a mortgage, but some of the pressure households may already be facing if they are currently servicing a mortgage. This metric shows how affordability is improving or worsening in an area but not how affordable an area is at a point in time.
Data source: Data for the median-median ratio is generated through a HUD modelled median disposable income using both Stats NZ data (including tax data, household surveys and Census data) and the District Valuation Roll provided through LINZ. Data for change in housing affordability measures is provided by HUD.
Building Consents
These metrics focus on the number of residential building consents within a selected area, showing both the number of new dwellings consented, and this number as a rate per 10,000 population. The metrics summarise information for building consents issued within the area across the previous year, excluding consents below $5,000.
Building consents reflect an intention to build and can be an important indicator of the new housing activity in an area and confidence in the local economy more generally.
Building consents related data in Local Housing Statistics include:
- the number of residential building consents granted in a selected area over the past year. The metric provides a clear total for a given area to allow assessment and comparison of new build activity for residential properties.
- the number of building consents per 10,000 population in a selected area. This metric uses the figure above but considers it against the size of the population in a selected area to assist with the assessment and comparison of this figure against other areas.
For more context about building consent data please refer to Stats NZ information(external link)
Data source: Data on the building consents and population figures is provided by Stats NZ.
Supporting information
Territorial Authorities (TAs)
The Local Housing Statistics dashboard uses territorial authorities as the geographic unit to categorise the other data featured. These TAs function as the ‘local’ part of the Local Housing Statistics dashboard. Territorial authorities have been used as they provide a common way to present a geographical view of the many different data sources utilised for this dashboard.
A territorial authority is defined under the Local Government Act 2002 as a city or a district council. There are 67 territorial authorities in New Zealand. Some territorial authority boundaries are the same as regional council boundaries but there are several exceptions. An example is Taupō District, which is split between four regions, although most of its area falls within the Waikato Region. Territorial authorities are defined at meshblock, statistical area 1 (SA1) and statistical area 2 (SA2) levels.
A meshblock is the smallest geographic unit for which statistical data is collected and processed by Stats NZ. A meshblock is defined by a geographic area, which can vary in size from part of a city block to a large area of rural land.
For more information on territorial authorities visit the Stats NZ website(external link)
Population
Information produced by Stats NZ is used to estimate the size of a population within a territorial authority for use in Local Housing Statistics. These subnational population estimates give the best available measure of the population usually living in New Zealand's 16 regions, 67 territorial authority areas, 21 Auckland local board areas, and other areas.
The estimated resident population for the territorial authority areas featured in this dashboard are as at 30 June each year.
For more information on population figures, see Stats NZ(external link)
Crowding
Household crowding relates to situations where the number of people living in a dwelling exceeds the capacity of the space to provide adequate shelter and services to its members. There are various ways to define and measure crowding. Stats NZ uses the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS) to measure household crowding in New Zealand.
Note that the measure of crowding used here is only applied to the people who are usually resident in the household and does not include visitors.
A crowded household is one where one or more additional bedrooms were needed to accommodate all residents, severe crowding is where 2 or more bedrooms were needed.
Change in Housing Affordability Indicators
The Change in Housing Affordability Indicators show how affordability of renting a home, saving for a deposit, and servicing a mortgage for people entering the market has changed over time. Each indicator compares price change with growth in median household income.
They provide insight into affordability nationally, regionally, and by Territorial Authority.
Housing Dashboard
The Housing Dashboard is a single place to track progress of key parts of the Government’s housing programme.
It’s updated monthly and includes information on social, transitional, and emergency housing, the social housing register, and other housing support provided. It shows what has been delivered by the end of the month.
Check out the Housing Dashboard here(external link)
MAIHI Ka Ora, Ka Mārama – the Māori Housing Dashboard
MAIHI Ka Ora, Ka Mārama, the Māori Housing Dashboard, provides access to consistent, reliable data to support whānau, hapū, iwi, and Māori organisations when they make decisions about housing. It also shows the progress that’s being made in achieving safe, healthy, affordable homes with secure tenure for whānau across the Māori housing continuum.
This information can be used alongside the Local Housing Statistics to provide visibility over the various housing issues that affect Māori whānau around the country, though this is not currently down to a territorial authority level.