REINZ October 2025 Market Report: Hawke’s Bay
- Aiden Doran
- Nov 24
- 2 min read
The Hawke’s Bay property market continued to strengthen in October 2025, with buyers becoming more active and confidence lifting across the region. Prices showed modest annual growth, and sales activity increased from September as lower interest rates and spring momentum supported the market.
Key Highlights
Median price:
$697,000 (↑ 2.5% year-on-year | ↑ 4.8% month-on-month)
Sales count:
220 sales (↓ 8.3% year-on-year | ↑ 29.4% month-on-month)
Days to sell:
38 days - 6 days slower than October 2024
Market Insights
“First home buyers and owner-occupiers were the most active buyer groups. Vendor expectations were becoming more realistic and aligned with market conditions… Market sentiment was influenced by declining interest rates and increased confidence for both vendors and buyers. Local salespeople report that the local market has improved and will continue to do so over the spring and summer period.”— Lizzy Ryley, REINZ Chief Executive
District Trends
District | Median Price (Oct 25) | Change vs Sep 25 | Change vs Oct 24 | Sales (Oct 25) | Change vs Sep 25 | Change vs Oct 24 |
Central Hawke’s Bay | $575,000 | ↑ 16.2% | ↑ 2.9% | 16 | ↓ 23.8% | ↓ 11.1% |
Hastings District | $700,000 | ↑ 2.9% | ↑ 0.7% | 108 | ↑ 80.0% | ↑ 0.9% |
Napier City | $710,000 | ↑ 3.6% | ↓ 5.3% | 92 | ↑ 4.5% | ↓ 15.6% |
Wairoa District | – | – | – | 4 | ↑ 300% | ↓ 33.3% |
Hawke’s Bay Region | $697,000 | ↑ 4.8% | ↑ 2.5% | 220 | ↑ 29.4% | ↓ 8.3% |
What It Means for Buyers and Sellers
Buyers
• Improved affordability in some segments, combined with declining interest rates, is creating appealing entry points, especially for first-home buyers.
• New listings are drawing strong attention early in their campaigns.
Sellers
• More realistic pricing is helping drive increased buyer engagement.
• Spring activity is boosting open-home traffic and shortening campaigns for well-priced stock.
Investors
• While not as active as first-home buyers, they are re-engaging as interest rates ease and yields stabilise.
• Expect investor competition to gradually increase through early 2026.
