But he wasn’t seeing that growth reflected in the figures.
Northland, like many regions around New Zealand, was experiencing a “wait and see” attitude from potential buyers, he said.
“The peak of where we are now it’s probably 15% down from 2021.
“We’ve had weather patterns put a lot of people off, buying inquiries are down, and the buyers that are looking are very educated and savvy … and what they’re prepared to pay is below vendor expectation.”
Rutherford said the Far North, in particular, was in a “bit of a quandary”.
“When we had Covid lockdowns, Northland was seen as the great escape,” he said.
“There was a huge influx of people and house prices went through the roof.
“But there’s no such thing as easy money; wages haven’t gone up, jobs are harder to get here … so we’ve seen an exodus back out.
“It’s a beautiful spot to live, but many are relocating south.”
The Trade Me data shows Auckland’s average asking price fell 1.2% from May to $992,700, marking the first time this year that prices have dipped below the million-dollar average.
Trade Me Property customer director Gavin Lloyd said it was “fairly typical for the property market to shift down a gear or two as the temperature drops”.
“However, the annual picture tells a story of longer-term stability,” he said.
“Compared to June last year, the national average price is flat, while new listings and demand are both up around 6%, suggesting the foundational demand is still there.”
As for Northland, Lloyd said smaller regional markets could experience “sharper, sudden jumps” based on the specific make-up of properties and volume.
“However, these increases do stand out comparative to the performance of other, similar-sized regions.”
Ray White Kerikeri sales manager Tom Rutherford said potential buyers were taking a “wait and see” approach to local real estate.
While Trade Me’s asking-price data showed stronger growth, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand’s (REINZ) median sale-price data pointed to much more modest annual increases.
The REINZ New Zealand Property Report for June states the median price in Northland increased 0.8% year-on-year to $625,000.
Owner-occupiers were the most active buyer group, with first home buyer activity varying across the region and investor activity easing.
Northland reported the highest increase in sales year-on-year, up 24.3%, although this reflected a relatively subdued June 2025, the report said.
There were 184 sales in Northland in June, compared with 148 in June 2025.
The average number of days to sell a property was 54.
REINZ chief executive Lizzy Ryley said the market continued to show signs of becoming more settled.
But there was no single “national story”, she said.
“The New Zealand housing market has become a series of local markets moving at different speeds.
“Buyers and sellers in one part of the country are having a very different experience from those in another, making the local knowledge of trusted real estate professionals more important than ever.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.