Western Heights (Rotorua District) Safety Snapshot

Is Western Heights (Rotorua District) safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Western Heights (Rotorua District) has a safety score of 6/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 6% of New Zealand suburbs, with 135.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #129 safest of 138 ranked suburbs in Bay of Plenty.

The annual total crime rate in Western Heights (Rotorua District) is 135.8 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #129 safest of 138 ranked suburbs in Bay of Plenty Region. The overall crime trend in the area has remained the same in recent months with criminal activity peaking in February 2026, March 2026, June 2026.

How the safety score works

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026

• Theft 71.1%
  Theft accounts for 71.1 percent of incidents.
• Burglary 18.0%
  Burglary accounts for 18.0 percent of incidents.
• Assault 9.1%
  Assault accounts for 9.1 percent of incidents.
• Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 1.2%
  Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 1.2 percent of incidents.
• Sexual Offences 0.3%
  Sexual Offences accounts for 0.3 percent of incidents.
• Harm Or Endanger Persons 0.3%
  Harm Or Endanger Persons accounts for 0.3 percent of incidents.

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View full safety overview for Western Heights (Rotorua District) ›

Western Heights (Rotorua District) Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

2,505

Households

747

Median income

$64,329

Median rent

$451

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14

720 (28.7%)

Age 15-64

1,584 (63.2%)

Age 65+

222 (8.9%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ

2,226 (90%)

Born overseas

246 (10%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European

1,209 · 36.2%

Māori

1,671 · 50%

Pacific

309 · 9.3%

Asian

135 · 4%

MELAA

6 · 0.2%

Other

9 · 0.3%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned

1,548 · 100%

Not owned

1,110 · 72.3%

Other

240 · 15.6%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family

459 (21%)

Two families

45 (2.1%)

Three+ families

3 (0.1%)

Other composition

1,680 (76.8%)

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

FAQ

• Is Western Heights (Rotorua District) a safe suburb to live in?

  Western Heights (Rotorua District) has a safety score of 6/100, making it the #129 safest of 138 ranked suburbs in Bay of Plenty Region. 89% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

• What is the crime rate in Western Heights (Rotorua District)?

  The annual crime rate in Western Heights (Rotorua District) is 135.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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