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West Plains-Makarewa Safety Snapshot

Southland, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is West Plains-Makarewa safe? About average. West Plains-Makarewa has a safety score of 53/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 53% of New Zealand suburbs, with 27.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #31 safest of 53 ranked suburbs in Southland.

The annual total crime rate in West Plains-Makarewa is 27.7 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #31 safest of 53 ranked suburbs in Southland Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in February 2026, March 2026, April 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
53 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
27.7
Regional rank #31 / 53 (Bottom 50%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼80%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Burglary 21.0%
    Burglary accounts for 21.0 percent of incidents.
  • Theft 19.0%
    Theft accounts for 19.0 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 6.0%
    Assault accounts for 6.0 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 1.0%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 1.0 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for West Plains-Makarewa ›

West Plains-Makarewa Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,728

Households

603

Median income

$105,659

Median rent

$321

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
306 (17.7%)
Age 15-64
1,137 (65.8%)
Age 65+
300 (17.4%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
1,569 (90.6%)
Born overseas
162 (9.4%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
1,557 · 79.2%
Māori
246 · 12.5%
Pacific
60 · 3.1%
Asian
51 · 2.6%
MELAA
6 · 0.3%
Other
45 · 2.3%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
1,329 · 99.6%
Not owned
393 · 29.4%
Other
96 · 7.2%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
444 (24.8%)
Two families
9 (0.5%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
1,338 (74.7%)

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

FAQ

  • Is West Plains-Makarewa a safe suburb to live in?

    West Plains-Makarewa has a safety score of 53/100, making it the #31 safest of 53 ranked suburbs in Southland Region. 85% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in West Plains-Makarewa?

    The annual crime rate in West Plains-Makarewa is 27.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for West Plains-Makarewa

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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