North Shore facts that change a plumbing job
Four local board areas
Stats NZ puts Takapuna, Devonport and Sunnynook in the Devonport-Takapuna local board area; Glenfield, Birkenhead, Northcote and Beach Haven in Kaipātiki; Albany in Upper Harbour; and Browns Bay in Hibiscus and Bays. All of it is Watercare's water area.
Hot water on pilot wires
Vector says hot water in North Auckland may be switched by pilot wires, which it repairs after the power lines. After a big storm, some North Shore homes can go without hot water until everyone's power is back. Still cold once the pilot wires are fixed? Vector says the fault may be your service pilot wire or the relay in the meter box.
Units, townhouses and renters
At the 2023 Census, joined dwellings such as units and townhouses made up 33.2% of occupied homes in Devonport-Takapuna and 24.5% in Kaipātiki. In both board areas, just over a third of homes were mainly rented.
Character areas
Birkenhead Point, Devonport and Stanley Point, and Northcote Point sit in the Unitary Plan's residential special character overlay. Repairs there are permitted, but external alterations or additions to a building need resource consent as a restricted discretionary activity.
Pipes, drains and gas on the Shore
Watercare's rules don't change north of the bridge. On the water side, your pipes start at the outlet of the meter. On the wastewater side, its part stops at the joint with the public pipe or manhole, or where your pipe crosses the boundary if the public pipe runs outside it. On a cross-lease, it works from the original title boundary.
Blocked drain or sewage coming up? Ring Watercare on (09) 442 2222, option 1, before a drainlayer, so the public side is checked first. Our Auckland blocked drains page covers what follows.
Gas heating is more common here than nationally. At the 2023 Census, 16.8% of Devonport-Takapuna homes used a fixed gas heater as a main heating type, against 9.5% nationally. Work on fixed gas pipes and appliances, from a heater to a califont, needs an authorised gasfitter.
Nearby pages
Suburbs: Takapuna, Devonport, Glenfield, Birkenhead, Albany, Browns Bay and Torbay. Jobs across Auckland: hot water cylinders, leak detection, gasfitting and emergency plumbers.
What we would do
If the hot water goes cold after a storm, check the switchboard and give it time before booking anyone: on pilot wires, hot water returns after the power does. If it stays cold once the street has power, ring Vector on 0508 832 867 before a plumber. And in Devonport, Northcote Point or Birkenhead Point, if a job adds anything to the outside of the house, such as an outdoor cylinder or a heat pump water heater, ask Auckland Council before the tradie starts, not after.