Stratford and New Plymouth side by side
| Stratford | New Plymouth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ground frosts a year (NIWA) | 69.2 | 8.5 |
| Air frosts a year (NIWA) | 11.3 | 1.3 |
| Average rain a year (NIWA) | 2,022 mm | 1,409 mm |
| Homes heating with a wood burner (2023) | 47.5% | 23.9% |
| Homes heating with fixed gas (2023) | 18.3% | 23.5% |
What the weather means for pipes and drains
The NIWA figures come from the Stratford Demonstration Farm and New Plymouth AWS stations, and the gap is wide. Inland, frost is a regular winter visitor, so exposed pipes and outside taps are worth lagging before it arrives. See burst and frozen pipes.
Roughly two metres of rain a year also tests gully traps, downpipes and yard drains. A drain that copes in summer may back up in a wet winter: outside drains covers the usual causes.
Stratford homes
Damp and mould
At the 2023 Census, 2.4% of Stratford homes were always damp and 18.8% sometimes damp, against 2.3% and 15.8% nationally. Mould larger than A4 was sometimes present in 13.5%. A hidden leak makes damp worse, so leak detection is worth a thought.
Fires and gas
Nearly half of homes use a wood burner as a main heater. A cylinder heated by a fire has its own replacement rules (wetbacks), and fixed gas work needs an authorised gasfitter.
Water stays with the council
New Plymouth District Council notes that Stratford and South Taranaki chose in-house water services rather than a regional company, so Stratford District Council remains your contact.
Check the licence, then book
Plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers need a practising licence from the PGDB, renewed every year. Ask to see it, then look the person up on the PGDB register by their own name. A green tick in the last column means current. Our guide to the register explains the rest.
What we would do
Use the dry months to get ready: lag what's exposed, clear the gully traps and check that downpipes run where they should. If a pipe does split, shut the water off at the toby, then ring the council if the leak is on its side. If it's yours, send us the details and a Stratford tradie who specialises in that repair can pick it up.