Wharekaka Safety Snapshot

Is Wharekaka safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Wharekaka has a safety score of 26/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 26% of New Zealand suburbs, with 52.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #12 safest of 26 ranked suburbs in Gisborne.

The annual total crime rate in Wharekaka is 52.8 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #12 safest of 26 ranked suburbs in Gisborne Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in January 2026, May 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026

• Theft 50.0%
  Theft accounts for 50.0 percent of incidents.
• Burglary 31.7%
  Burglary accounts for 31.7 percent of incidents.
• Assault 17.3%
  Assault accounts for 17.3 percent of incidents.
• Sexual Offences 1.0%
  Sexual Offences accounts for 1.0 percent of incidents.

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View full safety overview for Wharekaka ›

Wharekaka Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,992

Households

657

Median income

$79,466

Median rent

$236

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14

465 (23.3%)

Age 15-64

1,209 (60.7%)

Age 65+

309 (15.5%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ

1,842 (93.3%)

Born overseas

132 (6.7%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European

993 · 40.3%

Māori

1,326 · 53.8%

Pacific

93 · 3.8%

Asian

30 · 1.2%

MELAA

9 · 0.4%

Other

12 · 0.5%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned

1,317 · 100%

Not owned

753 · 57.3%

Other

207 · 15.8%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family

384 (20.1%)

Two families

30 (1.6%)

Three+ families

0 (0%)

Other composition

1,497 (78.3%)

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

FAQ

• Is Wharekaka a safe suburb to live in?

  Wharekaka has a safety score of 26/100, making it the #12 safest of 26 ranked suburbs in Gisborne Region. 82% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

• What is the crime rate in Wharekaka?

  The annual crime rate in Wharekaka is 52.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz