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Papatawa Safety Snapshot

Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Papatawa safe? About average. Papatawa has a safety score of 52/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 52% of New Zealand suburbs, with 28.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #45 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui.

The annual total crime rate in Papatawa is 28.1 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #45 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in December 2025, January 2026, March 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
52 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
28.1
Regional rank #45 / 131 (Top 50%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼11.1%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Burglary 22.0%
    Burglary accounts for 22.0 percent of incidents.
  • Theft 14.0%
    Theft accounts for 14.0 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 3.0%
    Assault accounts for 3.0 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Papatawa ›

Papatawa Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,404

Households

510

Median income

$92,807

Median rent

$223

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
276 (19.7%)
Age 15-64
861 (61.3%)
Age 65+
261 (18.6%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
1,263 (90.5%)
Born overseas
132 (9.5%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
1,191 · 75.2%
Māori
324 · 20.5%
Pacific
18 · 1.1%
Asian
30 · 1.9%
MELAA
0 · 0%
Other
21 · 1.3%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
1,041 · 99.7%
Not owned
375 · 35.9%
Other
84 · 8%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
375 (24.8%)
Two families
9 (0.6%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
1,131 (74.7%)

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

FAQ

  • Is Papatawa a safe suburb to live in?

    Papatawa has a safety score of 52/100, making it the #45 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui Region. 92% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Papatawa?

    The annual crime rate in Papatawa is 28.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Papatawa

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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