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Waitara West Safety Snapshot

Taranaki, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Waitara West safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Waitara West has a safety score of 26/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 26% of New Zealand suburbs, with 42.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #55 safest of 61 ranked suburbs in Taranaki.

The annual total crime rate in Waitara West is 42.3 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #55 safest of 61 ranked suburbs in Taranaki Region. The overall crime trend in the area has remained the same in recent months with criminal activity peaking in January 2026, March 2026, July 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
26 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
42.3
Regional rank #55 / 61 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼8.3%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 45.2%
    Theft accounts for 45.2 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 28.2%
    Burglary accounts for 28.2 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 23.7%
    Assault accounts for 23.7 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 1.7%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 1.7 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 1.1%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 1.1 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Waitara West ›

Waitara West Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

4,215

Households

1,611

Median income

$61,244

Median rent

$343

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
840 (19.9%)
Age 15-64
2,583 (61.3%)
Age 65+
813 (19.3%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
3,876 (93.1%)
Born overseas
288 (6.9%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
3,048 · 57.1%
Māori
1,911 · 35.8%
Pacific
192 · 3.6%
Asian
78 · 1.5%
MELAA
24 · 0.4%
Other
84 · 1.6%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
3,039 · 100%
Not owned
1,659 · 55%
Other
342 · 11.3%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
882 (18.6%)
Two families
42 (0.9%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
3,810 (80.5%)

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

FAQ

  • Is Waitara West a safe suburb to live in?

    Waitara West has a safety score of 26/100, making it the #55 safest of 61 ranked suburbs in Taranaki Region. 73% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Waitara West?

    The annual crime rate in Waitara West is 42.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Waitara West

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs