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Hi there. I have just discovered that there's next to no chance of fitting a baby seat in the back of my 2-door, '89 Honda Prelude (a shame as I'm rather fond of it). So it's time for an upgrade.

I'd like to get a 4-door hatchback for under $10k (would prefer quite a lot under if possible!) With a baby in the back, something with a good safety rating would be preferable. It will be used mostly around Wellington city with semi-regular (at least 6 times a year) runs made to Napier. Would prefer an auto, but manual also fine. I'd like it to be big enough to chuck a couple of bikes in the back with the seats down.

I've only owned Hondas in the past and I'm rather keen on them, but there doesn't seem to be much on offer in the hatch/sports hatch area. I don't want anything that's too expensive to service, so I guess Jap imports may be best. Would like something with a bit of get up and go (so perhaps 1.6L plus). Immediate thoughts are Subaru Impreza or perhaps a Mazda SP hatch? Any suggestions will be more than appreciated.

As I was reading your post, the model that was springing to mind was Mazda Familia / 323 / SP20, so your suggestion of an SP 20 would be high on my list.
While Subarus are great cars dynamically, I'm not sure I'd recommend an older one.
Other models to consider could be Nissan Pulsar, Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, all of which have good reputations for reliability but are not that sporty.
As a left field suggestion, the BMW 316ti or 318ti Compact, although they're only 3 door.
In summary, the Mazda SP20 would be perhaps the model that best fits your criteria.