New Zealand Short-Term Rental Market Review 2025: Revenue, Occupancy & Supply Growth
New Zealand Short-Term Rental Market Overview 2025
Number of Airbnb Listings Changes in New Zealand 2025
Which markets are experiencing rapid saturation?
A key consideration when entering a new short-term rental market is assessing whether it may become oversaturated. To evaluate this, we analyze the year-over-year supply change in Airbnb listings. The national average YoY supply change in New Zealand was 15.72% in 2025, indicating the overall growth trajectory of the market.
Markets with Largest Absolute Supply Increases in New Zealand
In absolute terms, Otago experienced the largest increase with +973 new listings added in 2025. This was followed by Auckland (+907 listings) and Canterbury (+813 listings).
Markets with Fastest Relative Growth in New Zealand
In relative terms, Chirstchurch experienced the most significant growth, with 23.89% more supply added over the 12-month period in 2025. Other rapidly expanding markets include Auckland (+20.34%) and Canterbury (+18.67%).
Short-Term Rental Revenue Trend in New Zealand 2025, and Future Outlook for 2026
Does increased supply necessarily indicate market saturation?
To assess market saturation, we examine year-over-year revenue trends. A decline in revenue per listing typically indicates heightened competition and potential oversaturation. The New Zealand average YoY change in revenue was 8.37% in 2025, representing an increase from $35,181 in 2024 to $64,049 in 2025.
Top Markets Revenue Performance
Otago
Auckland
Canterbury
For more detailed revenue YoY change analysis by market, access the Airbtics dashboard to explore specific market performance metrics.
Easiest Markets for Hosts in New Zealand 2025
Markets with high occupancy rates provide hosts with greater booking consistency, while markets with high booking volumes offer expanded opportunities across various property types and sizes.
Highest Occupancy Rate Markets in New Zealand 2025
Queenstown recorded a year-round occupancy rate of 82.00%, which is among the highest in New Zealand. This was followed by Chirstchurch (74.00%) and Otago (73.00%).
Highest Booking Volume Market in New Zealand 2025
Markets with high booking volumes present additional advantages, as they offer diverse opportunities across various property types and price points. The market that recorded the highest booking volume in New Zealand is Otago, with approximately 1,726,595 nights booked in 2025.
Regulatory Landscape
We define a professionalized or strictly regulated market as one where over 50% of active Airbnb listings hold valid license information, indicating consistent enforcement and higher compliance. Markets below this threshold are considered unregulated or lenient.
In New Zealand, 0 out of 12 markets fall into the professionalized / strict regulation category. For detailed license compliance data and market-specific regulatory insights, the Airbtics dashboard provides the percentage of listings with valid licenses for each market, enabling investors to assess regulatory risk at a granular level.
Which New Zealand Markets Are Growing Healthily vs Overheating?
Understanding market saturation requires looking at both supply growth and revenue trends together. Markets are categorized by comparing their YoY supply and revenue changes against New Zealand's national averages. Markets where supply is growing faster than revenue (relative to national averages) may be approaching saturation, while markets with below-average supply growth but above-average revenue growth may present hidden opportunities.
Benchmark: Markets are categorized relative to New Zealand's national averages (Supply: 15.7%, Revenue: 8.4%). Markets above the national average are marked with ↑, while those below are marked with ↓.
Healthy Growth
Supply > avg, Revenue > avg
Expansion with demand keeping up
- Queenstown Supply: +17.4% | Revenue: +20.6%
- Otago Supply: +17.7% | Revenue: +16.0%
- Canterbury Supply: +18.7% | Revenue: +11.4%
- Chirstchurch Supply: +23.9% | Revenue: +9.6%
- Auckland Supply: +20.3% | Revenue: +8.6%
Early Saturation
Supply > avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Competition rising
- Wellington Supply: +16.3% | Revenue: -2.4%
Under-the-Radar
Supply ≤ avg, Revenue > avg
Hidden opportunities
- Wanaka Supply: +15.6% | Revenue: +17.1%
- Bay Of Plenty Supply: +14.1% | Revenue: +12.4%
Declining
Supply ≤ avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Risky markets
- Hawkes Bay Supply: +9.1% | Revenue: -7.6%
- Northland Supply: +12.6% | Revenue: +3.0%
- Tasman-Nelson Region Supply: +8.7% | Revenue: +4.6%
- Taupo Supply: +14.3% | Revenue: +7.0%
For the latest updates of the market data in New Zealand, check out our Best Airbnb Markets in New Zealand.
All metrics are calculated using active short-term rental listings tracked weekly by Airbtics. Revenue, occupancy rate, ADR, and supply growth are estimated from historical booking calendars, listing activity, and proprietary aggregation models.
Source: Airbtics
Learn data methodology →
Cite this report
Airbtics (2026). New Zealand Short-Term Rental Market Review 2025: Revenue, Occupancy & Supply Growth. https://airbtics.com/short-term-rental-market-report-2025-new-zealand
Need Programmatic Access to Short-Term Rental Data?
Integrate accurate Airbnb market data directly into your applications, dashboards, and investment models with the Airbtics API. Access 12+ million listings, 12 months of historical data, and industry-leading revenue accuracy through clean, developer-friendly endpoints.
Explore Airbnb API →