Richmond is not Nelson City
Stats NZ puts Richmond West and Richmond South in Tasman District. That matters when something goes wrong in the street: Tasman District Council is the one to ring, and its rules are the ones that apply.
We couldn't read a published Tasman rule on where the council's pipe ends and yours begins, so ask the council before a plumber works near the boundary or the meter.
Richmond facts that affect plumbing
Fast growth
Richmond had 6,120 private dwellings at the 2018 Census and 7,956 by 2023, with 282 more under construction on census night. Consents for new homes peaked at 419 in the year to March 2022.
Metered water
Tasman District Council manages about 14,000 metered urban connections, and reported real water loss of 23% in the government's review of its water plan.
Water from the Waimea Plains
The Waimea Community Dam, finished in April 2024, releases water to keep the Waimea Plains aquifers topped up. Its operator says that supports the wells near Appleby feeding the combined Richmond-Nelson water network.
A plumbing fault in a new home?
Under the Building Act, every residential building contract, written or spoken, carries implied warranties that the work is done competently and lawfully. You can notify defects within 12 months of completion, and the builder must fix them within a reasonable time.
So if a leak or a faulty fitting shows up in a recently built Richmond home, raise it with the builder before paying someone else to fix it.
Other pages
Close by: Stoke and the Nelson page. Jobs: leak detection, hot water cylinders, drainlayers and gasfitting.
What we would do
Because your water is metered, a high bill is often the first sign of a leak. Turn every tap off and watch the meter for a while; if it still creeps forward, book a licensed plumber in Richmond to trace it. In a home that's still within its first year, check the builder's defect obligations before you pay anyone else.