Can we get piped gas in Christchurch?

Not natural gas. It's available in much of the North Island but not in the South Island, so gas appliances here run on LPG.

Does a gas heater that runs off a bottle need a gasfitter?

If it's a portable heater with its own bottle attached, no, though PGDB recommends one. If it's fixed in the house and piped to bottles outside, yes: that's gasfitting, whatever size the bottles are.

Do we need a building consent for a new gas appliance?

Usually not for the gas work itself. The Building Act treats gasfitting as energy work, which generally sits outside building consent. Other parts of a renovation around it may still need one.

Gasfitters in Christchurch: LPG bottles and appliances

Gasfitters in Christchurch

Bottled gas, same rules.

Christchurch has no piped natural gas, so a gas hob, heater or califont here runs on LPG, usually from bottles outside the house. Bottled or not, an appliance fixed into the home is gasfitting. Tell us what you're installing or fixing and we'll put it in front of an authorised Christchurch gasfitter who works on LPG appliances.

What's different about gas in Christchurch

No natural gas mains

Piped natural gas is available to most North Island households but not in the South Island. Gas Industry Co's national registry only holds North Island natural gas connections, and nothing on LPG.

45 kg bottles are the norm

Rockgas, for one, delivers 45 kg bottles across Christchurch City and out to Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton and Akaroa. A full one weighs about twice that, so where the bottles stand affects delivery as well as safety.

Gas heating is the exception

At the 2023 Census, fixed gas heaters were a main heating type in 7.3% of Christchurch dwellings, below the national 9.5%, while 86.2% used a heat pump.

Bottles need their own space

Rockgas wants bottles outdoors, on a firm, level, non-combustible base, restrained, and never under stairs or in an enclosed space. Heat pumps, air conditioners and outdoor power points count as ignition sources they must be kept clear of.

If you smell gas

Get people outside first, leaving doors and windows open, and keep flames, switches and phones away from the smell. If you can reach the bottle valve without walking back through the smell, turn it off. Ring 111 if anyone is in danger. A fault in the bottles' supply is for your gas retailer; a leak in the pipes or an appliance is for a licensed gasfitter, and the gas stays off until they've found it.

Why bottled gas still needs a gasfitter

The law draws the line at the appliance, not the fuel. A barbecue or cabinet heater carrying its own bottle isn't gasfitting, though PGDB still recommends a gasfitter for it. A hob, fire or water heater fixed in the house is gasfitting, and PGDB says homeowners can't install, alter or repair those, including when they run off gas bottles of any size.

All gasfitting is restricted work. A certifying gasfitter can do it unsupervised and certify it. A gasfitter in the middle class works under a named certifying supervisor, and a restricted gasfitter can't connect an appliance to the supply at all. Search the person's name, and their supervisor's, on the PGDB register; our licence check guide shows where to look.

Certificates your supplier may ask for

Once the work is connected, you're owed a Gas Safety Certificate from the person who connected it, or their supervisor, within 20 working days. It confirms the installation was safe when connected, and it counts as the Building Act certificate that the gasfitting meets the Building Code. A brand-new installation or an alteration also needs a certificate of compliance before it's finished; a like-for-like appliance swap makes that one optional.

Keep both. PGDB notes that gas suppliers may ask to see a certificate before supplying gas or refilling LPG bottles, and you may need them to sell or claim on insurance. Thinking of an LPG califont for hot water? Our Christchurch cylinder page covers the options.

Questions for a Christchurch gasfitter

Where can the bottles go so they meet the clearances from our heat pump?
Is this low-risk, general or high-risk gasfitting?
Who connects the appliance, and are they allowed to?
When will we get the Gas Safety Certificate, and a certificate of compliance if it applies?

What we would do

Plan the bottles before the appliance. Ask the gasfitter to look at where the bottles will sit, how the delivery driver reaches them, and what's nearby that counts as an ignition source, especially a heat pump unit. Then hold the final payment until you know when the certificates are coming, and keep a copy where you'll find it the next time a supplier asks.