What's different about gas in Auckland
Where Vector stops
Vector builds and maintains piped gas across the wider Auckland region. It owns the service pipe up to and including the riser, the vertical pipe into the meter. The meter itself may belong to one of several companies, and everything from the meter outlet onward is normally the homeowner's.
Vector's crew can't fix appliances
Vector's technicians aren't gasfitters and can't repair pipework or appliances. If only some appliances fail, it says to call your gasfitter first; if none work, or the gasfitter finds nothing inside, ring Vector.
Bottled heaters are popular
At the 2023 Census, 3.2% of Auckland homes used a portable gas heater as a main heating type, above the national 2.5%, while fixed gas heaters were a little less common, at 8.7% against 9.5%. A portable heater on its own bottle isn't gasfitting; a fixed one is.
Renovating near the gas line
Before major renovations near the gas service, Vector says to ask your retailer for a disconnection and to wait for its written confirmation that the service pipe, not just the meter, is off. Any gas pipe left on the property is yours.
Smell gas in an Auckland home?
Kill the ignition sources
Turn off gas appliances, put your phone away, and don't use light switches.
Get everyone out
Leave doors and windows open as you go, and move well away from the smell.
Close the meter valve if you can
The meter is outside the house, and a quarter turn closes it. Only do this if you know where it is and can reach it safely.
Ring 111, then Vector
Vector's number is 0800 764 764, and its crew aims to be there within the hour. An authorised gasfitter then repairs whatever is leaking on your side.
Who may touch your gas pipes
All gasfitting is restricted work. A certifying gasfitter can do and certify any of it. The Gasfitter class, called Tradesman before 1 April 2025, works under a named certifying supervisor, and a restricted gasfitter can do gasfitting but cannot connect an appliance to the supply.
On the PGDB register, search the gasfitter's full name, then their supervisor's, and look for the tick or green mark. Unauthorised gasfitting can cost a person up to $50,000 in fines, or a company up to $250,000, and knowingly paying someone unauthorised carries the same maximums.
Certificates to expect
Once your new appliance or pipe is connected, you're owed a Gas Safety Certificate, issued within 20 working days by whoever connected it or their supervisor. A new installation, or any addition or alteration, also needs a Certificate of Compliance before it counts as finished. For a straight swap to an equivalent appliance, the CoC is optional.
Swapping a cylinder for a califont? Rheem says a continuous flow heater needs a larger pipe from the gas meter than most storage heaters, so the job may include new pipework. See califonts and gas cylinders.
Questions for an Auckland gasfitter
- Which part of this job is our pipework, and which is Vector's?
- Will this be low-risk, general or high-risk work?
- Is the pipe from our meter big enough for the new appliance?
- When will we get the Gas Safety Certificate, and a CoC if one applies?
What we would do
Know where the gas meter is and how its quarter-turn valve works before you ever need it. For any new appliance, ask the gasfitter early whether the existing pipe from the meter is big enough, because a califont in particular may need a larger one. Don't settle the bill until you know when the certificates will arrive, and file them with the house papers. Tell us about the appliance and an Auckland gasfitter who works on that type of installation can quote.