Suburb Scorecards Explained: Your Data-Driven Guide to Finding The Best Places to Invest in New Zealand

Thrive’s Suburb Scorecard: a transparent, metric-driven framework powered by our up-to-date data dashboard, looking at the best places to invest in New Zealand.

When it comes to property investment, understanding the story behind the numbers is what separates confident decisions from costly guesses, and that’s exactly what our Suburb Scorecards are built to deliver.

Location doesn’t just influence price; it shapes rental demand, growth rates, and long-term resale value. To cut through the noise, you need hard data that reveals where prices have actually climbed and demand has stayed strong.

Rather than telling you to “just invest in Auckland,” we dive into suburb-level performance, so you can see which pockets have delivered real returns over the last 10 and 20 years, and which ones stack up as the best places to invest in New Zealand.

In this article, you’ll discover the four core metrics behind our Suburb Scorecard:

1. 10-year historic capital growth
   

2. 20-year historic capital growth
   

3. Median house price 
   

4. Median days on market
   

These quantitative indicators offer a solid, data-backed foundation for smarter property decisions, no guesswork required.

Key Metrics for Suburb Comparison

When it comes to choosing where to invest, data should be your compass. While local knowledge and intuition have their place, the most successful investors lean on numbers that tell a clear story.

At Thrive, we focus on four core metrics that help cut through the noise and reveal the true performance of a suburb.

1. 10-Year and 20-Year Capital Growth Rates

These figures show how much property values have increased over time. By tracking the median sales price over a 10- or 20-year period, you get a sense of how well a suburb has performed, and how resilient it’s been through market cycles.

We use data from REINZ to calculate these growth rates, and the results are often eye-opening. In Auckland, for example, nearly every suburb we analysed showed positive growth over both timeframes. Christchurch was even more consistent, with every suburb recording gains.

That kind of long-term performance speaks to the strength of the New Zealand property market.

2. Median Price

This is your entry point. The median price gives a snapshot of affordability and helps set expectations. Higher median prices often reflect more established or affluent areas, but they can also mean lower rental yields.

On the flip side, lower-priced suburbs might offer better cash flow, but it’s important to understand why prices are low. Is it a lack of demand, or untapped potential?

3. Median Days to Sell

This metric tells you how quickly properties are moving. In a hot market, homes sell fast, and the median days to sell drop. In a slower market, listings linger.

It’s a useful indicator of demand and liquidity, especially if you’re planning to sell or refinance in the future.

These metrics form the backbone of our Suburb Scorecard. They’re simple, powerful, and backed by reliable data. When used together, they give you a clear picture of where a suburb has been, and where it might be heading.

Growth Context: Why Long-Term Data Matters

Over the past 30 years, New Zealand property has delivered an average annual growth rate of around 7%. That’s despite major economic shocks, think the GFC, COVID lockdowns, and interest rate hikes.

Prices may dip in the short term, but over time, the trend has been unmistakably upward.

This is why short-term growth figures can be misleading. A suburb might look flat or even declining over the past 12 months, but zoom out to a 10- or 20-year view and the story often changes dramatically.

Long-term data smooths out volatility and gives you a clearer picture of a suburb’s true trajectory.

All the growth figures in our Suburb Scorecards are calculated month-by-month using REINZ data, then contextualised across 10- and 20-year periods. This lets you see not just where prices are now, but how they got there.

City Snapshot: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch

Before diving into individual suburbs, it’s worth stepping back to look at city-wide performance. If a city is showing strong fundamentals, steady growth, fast sales, and resilient demand, it’s a good signal to explore its top-performing suburbs more closely.

Here’s a snapshot of New Zealand’s three largest cities, based on data from August 2025:

Auckland

• 10-year growth rate: 2.5%

• 20-year growth rate: 4.83%

• Median price: $964,000

• Median days on market: 47

Wellington

• 10-year growth rate: 5.02%

• 20-year growth rate: 3.66%

• Median price: $831,000

• Median days on market: 53

Christchurch 

• 10-year growth rate: 4.84%

• 20-year growth rate: 4.69%

• Median price: $690,000

• Median days on market: 39

These figures give you a sense of momentum. Auckland continues to lead in long-term growth, Wellington shows strong mid-term resilience, and Christchurch offers affordability with consistent gains.

From here, the next step is suburb-level analysis, where the real opportunities lie.

Case Study: How Suburb Choice Impacts Returns

Let’s look at two real-world scenarios that show how choosing the right suburb can dramatically affect your investment outcome.

Both examples are based on Christchurch data from our top 20-scoring suburbs.

10-Year Comparison: Cashmere vs Ilam

Over the past decade, Cashmere has been Christchurch’s standout performer, with an average annual growth rate of 11.31%. At the other end of the spectrum, Ilam has lagged behind at just 1.96% per year.

Here's what would've happened if you’d purchased a $400,000 property in 2015:

Cashmere

Purchase price: $400,000

Avg. growth rate: 11.31% New property value: $1,167,890

Capital growth: $767,890

Ilam

Purchase price: $400,000

Avg. growth rate: 1.96%

New property value: $485,689

Capital growth: $85,689

Difference in capital growth: $682,201.

That’s the power of suburb-level analysis. Same city, same timeframe, wildly different outcomes.

20-Year Comparison: Fendalton vs Riccarton

Zooming out to a 20-year horizon, the pattern holds. Fendalton leads with 6.78% annual growth, while Riccarton trails at 3.21%.

If you’d bought a $300,000 property in 2005, these would be the results:

Fendalton

Purchase price: $300,000

Avg. growth rate: 6.78%

New property value: $1,114,088

Capital growth: $814,088

Riccarton

Purchase price: $400,000

Avg. growth rate: 3.21%

New property value: $564,361

Capital growth: $264,361

Difference in capital growth: $549,727.

These examples show that even within the same city, suburb selection can be the difference between a good investment and a great one. That’s why Thrive’s Suburb Scorecard focuses on long-term growth, not just short-term trends.

While growth is just one piece of the puzzle, it’s a powerful indicator of long-term performance, and a critical starting point for any investment strategy. By weighing up historic trends, price points, and demand signals, you can move beyond guesswork and make informed, confident decisions.

Our Suburb Scorecards are designed to give you that edge: clear, data-backed insights that help you compare suburbs, spot opportunities, and align your choices with your broader investment goals.

There’s more to consider, of course, yield, maintenance, developer, etc., but understanding the growth story is where smart property decisions begin.

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How Can We Help You?

We help Kiwis build wealth through property investment. Our advisors will take the time to understand your individual needs and recommend suitable investment properties to help you build wealth and set up your retirement.

What Does This Look Like?

We use a 3-step process:

1. We start with a Discovery Meeting where we learn about you, your goals, etc., and you learn more about us.
   

2. This is followed by a Strategy Meeting where we model your retirement plan, understand key investment concepts, and briefly touch on some investment choices.
   

3. Finally, an Asset Selection Meeting where we discuss investment options in more detail and make any recommended adjustments based on what we now know about you.

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What We Do

We offer end-to-end New Zealand property investment advice, helping Kiwi investors grow wealth through smart, data-led decisions. Our focus is on quality new builds in strong locations, tailored to your goals, guided by a team that knows the NZ market inside out. What We Don’t Do

We don’t do KiwiSaver, shares, cryptocurrency, or broad financial planning. Thrive is not a generalist firm. We specialise in property investment in New Zealand because that’s where we deliver the most value. By staying focused, we cut through the noise and help our clients make confident, well-informed property investment decisions.

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