Frosty morning and nothing from the tap
Ask next door
If the neighbours have no water either, the problem is probably the council's. Ring Invercargill City Council.
Look for a split
If only your house is affected, check pipes and taps on outside walls and under the floor for damage.
Shut it off if a pipe has burst
Turn the water off at the toby before the pipe thaws and starts to leak, and keep the toby clear so you can reach it fast.
Get the right tradie
A split pipe is a job for a plumber who handles burst pipes. Water in the walls or ceiling may need leak detection too.
Invercargill facts that change a plumbing job
Frost most of the winter
NIWA's Invercargill Airport station averages 41 days a year when the air drops below freezing. July alone brings about 12 air frosts and 19 ground frosts.
The 1984 flood
In January 1984 a state of emergency was declared in Invercargill at 4 a.m. on Friday 27 January, then widened to cover Southland. About 5000 people were evacuated, and floodwater at the airport was more than 2.5 m deep.
Heat pumps in most homes
At the 2023 Census, 81.9% of Invercargill homes used a heat pump as a main heat source, against 66.8% nationally. Wood burners were at 34% and coal burners at 2.6% (0.7% nationally).
A big housing stock
The census counted 21,072 private dwellings in 2023, 19,659 of them occupied, and Stats NZ counts 212 new homes consented in the year to March 2026. 29.4% of households didn't own their home, against 34% nationally.
The council's pipes and yours
Invercargill City Council delivers water through an in-house business unit, so there's no separate water company to call. Before work at the toby or the boundary, ask Invercargill City Council where its pipe finishes; we couldn't confirm that rule ourselves.
Unlicensed plumbing or drainlaying can bring a fine of up to $10,000, and a homeowner who knowingly pays an unauthorised person can be prosecuted as well. Search the PGDB register for the person's first and last name, and look for a current licence, not just a listing.
Around Southland
Gore and the Southland region. Jobs: emergency plumbers, heat pump hot water, cylinder replacement and blocked drains.
What we would do
Before the first hard frost, find the toby, check it turns, and have any exposed pipe or outside tap protected. If you're thinking of a heat pump water heater, ask how it copes in a Southland July: Rheem fits its models with an electric back-up element for very cold weather, and a plumber can tell you where the unit should go. For council pipes, ring Invercargill City Council. For everything on your side, we'll match the job with an Invercargill tradie whose speciality fits.