Neighbourhood profiles
Auckland neighbourhoods, house by house
The same trade job is a different job in different parts of Auckland. A gutter clean under Titirangi bush, a repaint on a Devonport villa inside a special character overlay and a roof wash on a Whangaparāoa clifftop each bring their own access, weather and rule questions. These profiles set out what is known about the housing and ground in twelve neighbourhoods, and which of the guide's ranked businesses reach them.
Profiles checked · each profile lists its sources · Report an error
Why profile neighbourhoods at all?
Because the questions to ask a tradesperson depend on the house and the ground under it. Auckland's housing was built in waves: timber villas around the turn of the twentieth century on the inner isthmus and in Devonport, bungalows between the wars, state houses from the late 1930s, large group-housing subdivisions from the 1960s, monolithic plaster homes in the 1990s and early 2000s, and medium-density terraces since the 2010s. Each wave brings its own weak points.
Ground and exposure add a second layer. Basalt lava fields drain differently from Waitematā sandstone cliffs or the clay of the western suburbs, and a house facing the Hauraki Gulf takes far more salt than one in a sheltered valley. Council rules add a third: special character areas, the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, kauri dieback controls, coastal hazard areas and onsite wastewater rules all change what a homeowner can do and who needs to be involved.
The twelve profiles
Beyond the five list areas
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Maintaining homes on the Hibiscus Coast: Orewa, Silverdale and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula's wind, salt, erosion and longer trade travel times.
Hibiscus and Bays local board · Orewa, Red Beach, Silverdale, Whangaparāoa and more
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Rainwater tanks, onsite wastewater, sea air and ferry logistics: what owners in Oneroa, Ostend, Onetangi, Surfdale and Palm Beach need to know.
Waiheke local board · Oneroa, Ostend, Onetangi, Surfdale and more
North Shore
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Home maintenance in the East Coast Bays from Castor Bay to Long Bay: cliff-top sections, sandstone and clay, salt wind and the trades that suit them.
Hibiscus and Bays local board · Castor Bay, Campbells Bay, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay and more
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Upkeep for Albany, Rosedale, Unsworth Heights and Pinehill homes: newer housing on clay, plaster-era checks, lifestyle blocks and septic systems.
Upper Harbour local board · Albany, Albany Heights, Rosedale, Unsworth Heights and more
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How Devonport's villas, volcanic cones, harbour salt and special character rules shape home maintenance and hiring trades on the peninsula.
Devonport-Takapuna local board · Devonport, Stanley Point, Cheltenham, Narrow Neck and more
West Auckland
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Maintenance for Hobsonville Point, Scott Point and Whenuapai homes: terraces, shared walls, residents' society rules, harbour damp and air base noise.
Upper Harbour local board · Hobsonville Point, Hobsonville, Whenuapai, Scott Point and more
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Post-war houses, stream flats and Waitākere foothills: what Henderson, Te Atatū, Massey and Henderson Valley homes need from trades.
Henderson-Massey local board · Henderson, Te Atatū Peninsula, Te Atatū South, Massey and more
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Home upkeep in Titirangi, Laingholm and Woodlands Park: steep bush sections, damp and shade, kauri dieback rules, septic systems and tricky access.
Waitākere Ranges local board · Titirangi, Laingholm, Woodlands Park, Waima and more
Central Auckland
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Timber villas, workers' cottages and character rules: maintaining homes in Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Grey Lynn, Freemans Bay, Westmere and St Marys Bay.
Waitematā local board · Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Grey Lynn, Freemans Bay and more
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Basalt ground, soakage drainage, villas and bungalows below Maungawhau: home upkeep in Mt Eden, Epsom, Balmoral and Sandringham.
Albert-Eden local board · Mt Eden, Epsom, Balmoral, Sandringham
East Auckland
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Fencible-era village, 1960s Pakuranga and cliff-top bays: maintaining homes in Howick, Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay, Cockle Bay and Mellons Bay.
Howick local board · Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay and more
South Auckland
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Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Ōtara
State houses, group housing and new public homes: what Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Ōtara, Manukau and Wiri properties need from trades.
Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Manurewa local board · Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Ōtara, Manukau Central and more
How the profiles were put together
Each profile was written from primary sources: the Auckland Unitary Plan and Auckland Council pages, Heritage New Zealand, MBIE's building guidance, Tenancy Services, Watercare, Auckland Transport and similar bodies. Every source is linked at the foot of the page. Where a fact could not be confirmed from a primary source it was left out or stated in general terms, and nothing on these pages is a planning or engineering opinion about a particular property.
The table on each profile is different in kind: it is computed from the guide's business dataset, counting the eligible businesses whose Google listing is in one of the neighbourhood's localities or whose own website names one. It is a guide to who has said they work there, not a ranking. Rankings stay on the best lists, built with the published method.
No business paid to be mentioned in a profile, and the profiles name no businesses. Referral arrangements are set out on the disclosure page.
Using a profile before you hire
Read the profile for the house's neighbourhood, note the points that apply (an overlay, a steep drive, a septic system, a bush edge, sea spray), and raise them when asking for quotes. A business that has worked in the area should recognise them. Then compare published prices in the cost guides and shortlist from the ranked lists.
Neighbourhoods not covered yet can be suggested through the reader desk. New profiles are added only where there is enough checkable local detail to say something useful.