Who looks after Northland's water
Whangārei is served by Whangārei District Council. Kerikeri and Kaitāia are in the Far North, where Far North District Council runs the water.
Northland Waters Limited was set up on 11 May 2026, and Far North District Council joined it as a founding shareholder on 21 May 2026. The company is due to take over from July 2027. Until then, your council is the one to ring.
Whangārei: where the council's drain ends
- Every main sewer belongs to the council, whether it runs under the road or through a private section.
- The connection pipe on public land, from the main to the inspection point at your boundary, is the council's.
- From that boundary inspection point to the house, the connection pipe is yours. If it breaks, you pay for the repair.
- A water leak anywhere on your property is yours to fix. The meter usually sits in a box near the front boundary.
Blocked drain in Whangārei? Ring the council first
Whangārei District Council asks owners with a blocked or slow drain to contact it before anyone else. It checks the public sewer, and its contact centre runs 24/7.
If the blockage is in your private drain, you'll need to hire a plumber. If a failed private drain caused a blockage in the public sewer, the council may recover its costs from you.
Kerikeri and Kaitāia
We couldn't read Far North District Council's pipe rules, so we publish none for these towns. Ask the council where its pipe ends and yours begins before anyone works on a drain near the boundary.
Checking a Northland tradie's licence
There is no Northland licence. The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) licenses every plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer in the country.
Search the PGDB public register by the person's first and last name, not the business name. A tick or green in the far-right column means the licence is current.
People who used to hold a licence stay on the register, so a listing on its own proves nothing.
Drains: your part and the drainlayer's
You can
- Clear a blocked drain, as long as you don't alter or repair the inspection pipe or vent pipe.
Leave to an authorised tradie
- Laying, altering or repairing a drain.
- Connecting a drain to a septic tank, or fitting a trap.
Hot water and gas paperwork
A replacement hot water cylinder needs no building consent when the new heater includes, or is connected to, a controlled heat source and an authorised person fits it. The work must still meet the Building Code. Our cylinder consent guide covers the other cases.
Any gasfitting needs a Gas Safety Certificate once it's finished and connected. A certificate of compliance is also required for general and high-risk gas work, but optional for a like-for-like swap.
What we would do in Northland
If a drain backs up in Whangārei, ring the council's contact centre before you book anyone, and let it rule out the public sewer. If the fault turns out to be on your side of the boundary inspection point, get a plumber or drainlayer in and ask them to show you where the blockage was. In Kerikeri or Kaitāia, ask Far North District Council first where its responsibility stops.
Tell us what's wrong and which town you're in. A Northland tradie who specialises in that job can take it, and only the one who takes it gets your phone number and email.