Renovating in Saint Johns · Ōrākei
Renovating in Saint Johns
What the published data says about renovation work around Saint Johns: the zoning on the Unitary Plan map, whether special character or heritage overlays reach into the suburb, what alteration consents in Ōrākei are being valued at, how much new building is going on, and what the suburb rents for. None of it is a determination about your property.
$229,218
Average declared value of a dwelling alteration consent in Ōrākei over the twelve months to May 2026 — $98.33m across 429 consents. The Auckland average is $163,752. This is the applicant’s own estimate of build cost at consent time, it excludes land, and it is not a quote. The full Ōrākei picture.
Stats NZ — Building consents issued — Auckland local boards, May 2026 release · May 2026
The map
What the Unitary Plan zones in this suburb
Sampled across Saint Johns, the base-zone mix below covers 81% of the suburb’s area from 702 sample points. The derived bucket is Mixed Housing Suburban — the Auckland default.
Zoning on Saint Johns at PropertyScope.
The single most important fact here
Special character and historic heritage
For a renovation this outranks everything else on the page. Overlays can control demolition and changes to the external appearance of a building, which is exactly what an extension, a reclad or a new opening does.
| Constraint | This suburb |
|---|---|
| Special Character Area overlay | No overlay intersects this suburb |
| Distinct character areas intersecting | 0 |
| Approximate share of suburb area inside an overlay | 0% |
| Scheduled historic heritage places | 0 |
| Historic heritage extents intersecting | 1 |
Counts are of distinct overlay features intersecting the suburb, de-duplicated across its statistical areas. The area share is approximate: it is estimated by systematic point sampling, so treat single-digit percentages as "some" rather than exact. A zero is a true zero — no overlay polygon intersects the suburb — not a missing value.
Auckland Council — Special Character Areas Overlay (Residential and Business) — derived aggregates only · 2026-07-30
Source: Plans and Places, Auckland Council (Unitary Plan overlays).
How much is being built
New dwellings consented here
New building is not renovation, but it is the best available signal of how much pressure a suburb is under — and of whether the trades you need are already booked.
Stats NZ — New dwellings consented by statistical area 2, May 2026 release · May 2026
Stats NZ — New dwellings consented by statistical area 2, May 2026 release · May 2026
| Type | Consented |
|---|---|
| Standalone houses | 93 |
| Townhouses, flats and units | 107 |
| Apartments | 0 |
| Retirement village units | 299 |
New dwellings only. This table says nothing about alterations to existing houses — that series is reported by local board, not by suburb, and is above.
Stats NZ — New dwellings consented by statistical area 2, May 2026 release · May 2026
The investment case
What this suburb rents for
If the renovation is on a rental, or is meant to become one, the rent is the other half of the sum. This is the median weekly rent lodged with bonds in Q1 2026, against an Auckland median of $622.
MBIE (Tenancy Services) rental bond data · Q1 2026
A median is not a valuation and a rent rise is not a return: the cost of the work, the vacancy while it is done, and the rules on what you can charge all sit in between. Bond lodgements also under-represent long-standing tenancies, because a bond is lodged when a tenancy starts.
Rent detail for Saint Johns at SuburbIQ.
| Bedrooms | Median | Bonds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $606 | 27 |
| 2 bedrooms | $565 | 12 |
| 3 bedrooms | $670 | 9 |
| 4 bedrooms | $930 | 6 |
Small bond counts make a median move a long way. Where a row rests on a handful of bonds, read it as an indication only.
MBIE (Tenancy Services) rental bond data · Q1 2026
Next
Where to take this
Renovating in Ōrākei
The board’s alterations market: $98.33m across 429 consents, its ten-year trend, and its rank among the 21.
Do I need a consent?
The Building Act thresholds, Schedule 1 exemptions, and restricted building work.
What it costs
What the consent data supports, and the figure New Zealand does not publish.
All 246 suburbs
The full index, grouped by local board and by zoning bucket.
Also in Ōrākei: Glendowie · Kohimarama · Meadowbank · Mission Bay · Ōrākei · Remuera · Remuera Abbotts Park · Remuera Waiata · Remuera Waiatarua · Remuera Waitaramoa · Saint Heliers · Stonefields.