Balcairn Safety Snapshot

Is Balcairn safe? Yes. Balcairn has a safety score of 71/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 71% of New Zealand suburbs, with 21.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #94 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury.

The annual total crime rate in Balcairn is 21.5 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #94 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in January 2026, March 2026, May 2026.

How the safety score works

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026

• Theft 29.0%
  Theft accounts for 29.0 percent of incidents.
• Burglary 14.0%
  Burglary accounts for 14.0 percent of incidents.
• Assault 10.0%
  Assault accounts for 10.0 percent of incidents.

---

View full safety overview for Balcairn ›

Balcairn Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

2,481

Households

990

Median income

$81,646

Median rent

$341

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14

402 (16.2%)

Age 15-64

1,524 (61.4%)

Age 65+

549 (22.1%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ

2,097 (84.9%)

Born overseas

372 (15.1%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European

2,349 · 85.6%

Māori

255 · 9.3%

Pacific

33 · 1.2%

Asian

39 · 1.4%

MELAA

15 · 0.5%

Other

54 · 2%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned

1,914 · 100%

Not owned

540 · 28.2%

Other

159 · 8.3%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family

675 (23%)

Two families

27 (0.9%)

Three+ families

3 (0.1%)

Other composition

2,235 (76%)

Demographic data sourced from Stats NZ , licensed under CC BY 4.0

FAQ

• Is Balcairn a safe suburb to live in?

  Balcairn has a safety score of 71/100, making it the #94 safest of 288 ranked suburbs in Canterbury Region. 81% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

• What is the crime rate in Balcairn?

  The annual crime rate in Balcairn is 21.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs

• Amberley (Canterbury)