Kelston is a suburb of West Auckland, about 12 km from the city centre, between New Lynn and Glen Eden near the Whau River. It sits on the western side of the Auckland isthmus.

How do I get from Auckland city centre to Kelston?

By car it is around 20 to 25 minutes west via the Northwestern Motorway and Great North Road. The nearest train station is at New Lynn, a few minutes away, with buses serving Kelston directly.

What schools are in Kelston?

Kelston Boys' High School and Kelston Girls' College sit close together off Great North Road. The suburb is also home to Ko Taku Reo, formerly the Kelston Deaf Education Centre, which serves the upper North Island.

What is the Kelston Deaf Education Centre?

Opened in 1958, it has long been the home of deaf education for the upper North Island, with boarding and a marae on site. It is now part of Ko Taku Reo, New Zealand's combined deaf education body.

What was Kelston originally known for?

Kelston began as a centre of the ceramics industry in West Auckland before becoming mainly residential. That manufacturing past is part of the wider Whau area's history of potteries and brickworks.

Which schools are in zone for Kelston?

Children living in Kelston are in zone for Kelston Intermediate, St Leonards Road School, Kelston Boys' High School, Kelston Girls' College. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Kelston?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page — enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Kelston, Auckland | Schools, Lifestyle & Local Guide

Living in Kelston

Kelston is a residential suburb of West Auckland, about 12 km from the city centre, sitting between New Lynn, Glen Eden and the Whau River that marks the western edge of the old Auckland isthmus. It began as a centre of the ceramics industry before settling into the quiet residential suburb it is today. For a suburb of its size, the school zone is its calling card.

Kelston's real distinction is its concentration of schools. Kelston Boys' High School and Kelston Girls' College sit close together off Great North Road, and the suburb has been the home of deaf education in the upper North Island since 1958, when the Kelston Deaf Education Centre opened. Now part of Ko Taku Reo, it draws students from across the region and includes boarding, alongside the Ruaumoko Marae on the same grounds.

The housing is a mix of postwar homes and newer infill on streets that run down towards the Whau River, whose coastal walkway forms the suburb's quiet tidal western edge. Everyday shopping is handled in neighbouring New Lynn, with its mall, train station and supermarkets only a few minutes south.

For a modest West Auckland suburb, Kelston quietly carries a national role in education, and has done for generations.

Is Kelston a good place to live?

Kelston is home to roughly 5,673 people. On Suburb's overall livability scale, Kelston scores 53 out of 100, with a safety score of 66/100 and 17% green space.

Schools: Kelston has 63 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $837K, and weekly rent typically sits around $528.

Lifestyle: Kelston has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 15.7°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Kelston is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety66
Amenities82
Schools40
Housing Affordability45
Green space57
Community22
Transport31

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $837K
Median Weekly Rent: $528/wk
Median HH Income: $106K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): +2.0%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Auckland →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kelston?: Kelston is a suburb of West Auckland, about 12 km from the city centre, between New Lynn and Glen Eden near the Whau River. It sits on the western side of the Auckland isthmus.
How do I get from Auckland city centre to Kelston?: By car it is around 20 to 25 minutes west via the Northwestern Motorway and Great North Road. The nearest train station is at New Lynn, a few minutes away, with buses serving Kelston directly.
What schools are in Kelston?: Kelston Boys' High School and Kelston Girls' College sit close together off Great North Road. The suburb is also home to Ko Taku Reo, formerly the Kelston Deaf Education Centre, which serves the upper North Island.
What is the Kelston Deaf Education Centre?: Opened in 1958, it has long been the home of deaf education for the upper North Island, with boarding and a marae on site. It is now part of Ko Taku Reo, New Zealand's combined deaf education body.
What was Kelston originally known for?: Kelston began as a centre of the ceramics industry in West Auckland before becoming mainly residential. That manufacturing past is part of the wider Whau area's history of potteries and brickworks.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Kelston

Schools in zone for Kelston

Children living in Kelston have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

Kelston Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 407 · decile 2
St Leonards Road School
Contributing · roll 427 · decile 3
Kelston Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 834 · decile 2
Kelston Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 584 · decile 2

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Kelston. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Kelston that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

Kelston School
Contributing · roll 296 · decile 3 · 1.0 km away
Glendene School
Contributing · roll 115 · decile 2 · 1.2 km away
Arohanui Special School
Specialist School · roll 276 · decile 4 · 1.8 km away
Glen Eden School
Contributing · roll 310 · decile 3 · 1.9 km away
Iqra School
Composite · roll 220 · 2.0 km away
Te Kura o Pātiki Rosebank School
Contributing · roll 559 · decile 2 · 2.0 km away
Tirimoana School
Contributing · roll 636 · decile 5 · 2.0 km away
Avondale College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 2800 · decile 4 · 2.3 km away
Fruitvale Road School
Contributing · roll 338 · decile 4 · 2.3 km away
Avondale Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 380 · decile 2 · 2.5 km away
New Lynn School
Contributing · roll 396 · decile 4 · 2.6 km away
St Mary's Catholic School (Avondale)
Full Primary · roll 168 · decile 3 · 2.6 km away
Sunnyvale School
Contributing · roll 470 · decile 3 · 2.6 km away
Holy Cross Catholic School (Henderson)
Full Primary · roll 424 · decile 2 · 2.7 km away
Jireh Christian School
Full Primary · roll 286 · decile 3 · 2.8 km away
Freyberg Community School
Contributing · roll 400 · decile 5 · 2.9 km away
Avondale Primary School (Auckland)
Contributing · roll 362 · decile 3 · 3.0 km away
Henderson School
Contributing · roll 186 · decile 4 · 3.0 km away
Oaklynn Special School
Specialist School · roll 220 · decile 4 · 3.0 km away
TKKM o Hoani Waititi
Composite · roll 240 · decile 3 · 3.2 km away
Arahoe School
Contributing · roll 411 · decile 5 · 3.2 km away
Prospect School
Contributing · roll 316 · decile 3 · 3.2 km away
Waitakere S D A School
Full Primary · roll 67 · 3.3 km away
Bruce McLaren Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 285 · decile 2 · 3.4 km away
Chaucer School
Contributing · roll 192 · decile 4 · 3.4 km away
Rangeview Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 461 · decile 4 · 3.4 km away
Henderson High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1049 · decile 3 · 3.5 km away
Henderson - Teen Parent Unit - He Wero o nga Wahine
Teen Parent Unit · 3.5 km away
Glen Eden Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 920 · decile 7 · 3.5 km away
Blockhouse Bay Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 834 · decile 5 · 3.7 km away
Glenavon School
Full Primary · roll 347 · decile 2 · 3.7 km away
Edmonton School
Contributing · roll 204 · decile 4 · 3.8 km away
Kaurilands School
Contributing · roll 719 · decile 8 · 3.8 km away
Waterview School
Contributing · roll 247 · decile 3 · 3.8 km away
Henderson South School
Contributing · roll 271 · decile 2 · 3.9 km away
Green Bay High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1962 · decile 8 · 4.0 km away
Elim Christian College Mt Albert
Composite · roll 440 · 4.0 km away
Konini School (Auckland)
Contributing · roll 401 · 4.1 km away
St Dominic's Catholic School (Blockhouse Bay)
Contributing · roll 261 · decile 6 · 4.1 km away
Flanshaw Road School
Contributing · roll 349 · decile 5 · 4.2 km away
Green Bay Primary School
Full Primary · roll 614 · decile 7 · 4.2 km away
ACG Sunderland
Composite · roll 870 · decile 6 · 4.4 km away
Henderson North School
Contributing · roll 346 · decile 3 · 4.4 km away
Gladstone School (Auckland)
Contributing · roll 775 · decile 9 · 4.5 km away
Henderson Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 741 · decile 4 · 4.5 km away
New Windsor School
Contributing · roll 347 · decile 4 · 4.5 km away
Oratia School
Contributing · roll 434 · decile 9 · 4.5 km away
Owairaka District School
Contributing · roll 372 · decile 3 · 4.5 km away
North West College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 146 · 4.5 km away
Western Heights School (Auckland)
Contributing · roll 637 · decile 7 · 4.6 km away
Blockhouse Bay School
Contributing · roll 508 · decile 7 · 4.7 km away
St Francis Catholic School (Pt Chevalier)
Contributing · roll 263 · decile 7 · 4.7 km away
St Dominic's Catholic College (Henderson)
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 854 · 4.8 km away
Liston College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 858 · decile 5 · 4.9 km away
Rutherford School
Contributing · roll 289 · decile 5 · 4.9 km away
Titirangi School
Contributing · roll 433 · decile 10 · 4.9 km away
Elim Christian College Henderson
Full Primary · roll 143 · decile 5 · 4.9 km away
Rutherford College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1621 · decile 5 · 5.0 km away
Waitakere College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 2004 · 5.0 km away

Explore Kelston

Things to do(5)

Brains Park

Western Magpies Softball Club

West Auckland Football Club

Cobham Reserve

Archibald Park

Parks & green spaces(3)

Brains Park

Cobham Reserve

Archibald Park

Healthcare(1)

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	22.7	16.73	6.68	10.22
☀️ Feb	22.77	15.67	6.25	10.43
🍂 Mar	20.56	13.57	2.68	10.21
🍂 Apr	19.39	13.51	3.6	8.56
🍂 May	16.64	10.96	4.55	7.71
❄️ Jun	15.24	9.49	3.44	7.29
❄️ Jul	14.27	8.16	4.08	7.31
❄️ Aug	14.38	6.92	2.41	8.3
🌸 Sep	16.05	9.84	3.3	9.4
🌸 Oct	17.32	10.59	3.93	10.28
🌸 Nov	19.19	11.95	3.48	11.13
☀️ Dec	22.23	14.94	4.08	11.39

Living in Kelston

Is Kelston a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Kelston

Schools in zone for Kelston

Kelston Intermediate

St Leonards Road School

Kelston Boys' High School

Kelston Girls' College

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

Kelston School

Glendene School

Arohanui Special School

Glen Eden School

Iqra School

Te Kura o Pātiki Rosebank School

Tirimoana School

Avondale College

Fruitvale Road School

Avondale Intermediate

New Lynn School

St Mary's Catholic School (Avondale)

Sunnyvale School

Holy Cross Catholic School (Henderson)

Jireh Christian School

Freyberg Community School

Avondale Primary School (Auckland)

Henderson School

Oaklynn Special School

TKKM o Hoani Waititi

Arahoe School

Prospect School

Waitakere S D A School

Bruce McLaren Intermediate

Chaucer School

Rangeview Intermediate

Henderson High School

Henderson - Teen Parent Unit - He Wero o nga Wahine

Glen Eden Intermediate

Blockhouse Bay Intermediate

Glenavon School

Edmonton School

Kaurilands School

Waterview School

Henderson South School

Green Bay High School

Elim Christian College Mt Albert

Konini School (Auckland)

St Dominic's Catholic School (Blockhouse Bay)

Flanshaw Road School

Green Bay Primary School

ACG Sunderland

Henderson North School

Gladstone School (Auckland)

Henderson Intermediate

New Windsor School

Oratia School

Owairaka District School

North West College

Western Heights School (Auckland)

Blockhouse Bay School

St Francis Catholic School (Pt Chevalier)

St Dominic's Catholic College (Henderson)

Liston College

Rutherford School

Titirangi School

Elim Christian College Henderson

Rutherford College

Waitakere College

Explore Kelston

🎯Things to do(5)

Brains Park

Western Magpies Softball Club

Things to do(5)

Parks & green spaces(3)

Healthcare(1)

Places to eat & drink(3)

Tradies & services(20)

Shops(4)

Beauty & fitness(4)

Professional services(6)