The safest suburb in West Coast is Dobson, with a safety score of 98/100 and 11 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Westport Rural and Rutherglen-Camerons come next. These rankings cover 26 West Coast suburbs, using NZ Police data.
Police data to August 2026
| # | Suburb | Safety score | Crimes per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dobson | 98/100 | 11 |
| 2 | Westport Rural | 96/100 | 8.4 |
| 3 | Rutherglen-Camerons | 93/100 | 7.6 |
| 4 | Barrytown | 88/100 | 20.3 |
| 5 | Whataroa-Harihari | 81/100 | 18.7 |
| 6 | Marsden | 77/100 | 13.6 |
| 7 | Rūnanga | 76/100 | 17.2 |
| 8 | Greymouth Rural | 72/100 | 12.5 |
| 9 | Arahura-Kūmara | 70/100 | 22.2 |
| 10 | Nelson Creek | 70/100 | 15.7 |
| 11 | Karamea | 63/100 | 14.8 |
| 12 | Lake Brunner | 62/100 | 15.2 |
| 13 | Buller Coalfields | 62/100 | 14 |
| 14 | Blaketown | 60/100 | 20.9 |
| 15 | Hokitika Rural | 50/100 | 12.2 |
| 16 | Reefton | 50/100 | 30.6 |
| 17 | Westland Glaciers-Bruce Bay | 45/100 | 32.5 |
| 18 | Inangahua | 41/100 | 39.7 |
| 19 | Hokitika | 39/100 | 33 |
| 20 | Charleston (Buller District) | 35/100 | 38.8 |
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.
