The safest suburb in Otago is Quail Rise, with a safety score of 98/100 and 8.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Abbotsford and Earnscleugh come next. These rankings cover 120 Otago suburbs, using NZ Police data.
Police data to August 2026
| # | Suburb | Safety score | Crimes per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quail Rise | 98/100 | 8.1 |
| 2 | Abbotsford | 98/100 | 6.6 |
| 3 | Earnscleugh | 98/100 | 5 |
| 4 | Wānaka West | 98/100 | 5.2 |
| 5 | Macandrew Bay-Company Bay | 97/100 | 7.2 |
| 6 | Dunstan-Galloway | 97/100 | 5.6 |
| 7 | Roseneath-Sawyers Bay | 97/100 | 5.3 |
| 8 | Mosgiel East | 96/100 | 4.8 |
| 9 | Brighton | 96/100 | 6.3 |
| 10 | Shotover Country | 96/100 | 7.9 |
| 11 | Lindis-Nevis Valleys | 96/100 | 10 |
| 12 | Maniototo | 96/100 | 8.1 |
| 13 | Waldronville | 96/100 | 8.2 |
| 14 | Wakatipu Basin | 95/100 | 9.3 |
| 15 | Fairfield (Dunedin City) | 95/100 | 7.5 |
| 16 | Ngapara | 94/100 | 8.6 |
| 17 | Manuherikia-Ida Valleys | 94/100 | 12.7 |
| 18 | Lower Waitaki | 94/100 | 12.3 |
| 19 | Shiel Hill | 94/100 | 11.8 |
| 20 | Wānaka North | 93/100 | 6.7 |
Scores compare each suburb with every ranked suburb in New Zealand; higher is safer. How the score works. Suburbs with very few residents or incomplete Police records are not ranked.
