Which South Auckland is your house in?
The state-house suburbs
Auckland Council says that in the early 1970s more than 40% of houses in Ōtara were state houses, with over 5,000 built there by 1983, and more went up at Māngere Bridge and Papatoetoe. Those homes are now old enough that the original spouting, flashings and roofing deserve a proper look.
Mostly standalone houses
At the 2023 Census, separate houses made up 82.7% of occupied homes in Manurewa, 78.6% in Papakura, 74.7% in Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and 70.9% in Ōtara-Papatoetoe. That means a lot of individual roofs, each with its own owner or landlord.
Brand-new streets in the south
Land around Flat Bush, Takanini and Hingaia was rezoned for housing in the 1990s. Between 2018 and 2023 Flat Bush added 3,363 dwellings (+38%) to reach 12,156, and Drury more than doubled.
Wind and rain off the Manukau
Auckland Airport has the highest mean wind speed of NIWA's Auckland stations, 18 km/h, mostly from the south-west. On 27 January 2023 Māngere recorded 265 mm of rain in a day.
A tornado in 2021
On the morning of 19 June 2021 a violent tornado hit Papatoetoe, killing one person and damaging around 246 houses, 62 of them initially uninhabitable.
Is the damp in your house coming from the roof?
Sometimes. In the 2023 Census, 32.6% of homes in Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and 30.1% in Ōtara-Papatoetoe were recorded as damp at least some of the time, and those two boards had Auckland's highest shares of homes with mould bigger than an A4 sheet.
A slow roof leak, overflowing spouting or a roof space with no ventilation can all feed that damp. So can everyday condensation, which no roofer can fix. Our guide to condensation or a leak helps you tell which one you're dealing with.
Renting? In the Southern Initiative area 57.9% of homes are mainly rented. Tell your landlord about a leak in writing, with photos. Own a rental? WorkSafe says an owner who doesn't live in the house is responsible for making sure work done on it is done safely, tenants included.
The roof jobs most likely to come up here
Storm and leak repairs on older roofs, especially after big rain from the east. Insurers cover sudden damage, but not rusting iron, worn-out paint or spouting blocked for years. More in storm damage claims and roof repairs in Auckland.
Spouting and downpipes that sag, leak at the joins or can't keep up in a downpour. See spouting (gutters) in Auckland.
Asbestos checks first. WorkSafe says a home built before 2000 may contain asbestos. Don't water-blast, drill or cut old roofing or flat sheets until you know what they are.
Defects on new builds. If a new house leaks, the builder's legal warranties apply, and you can notify defects in writing within 12 months of completion for them to fix. See written contracts and disclosure.
Where we'd start in South Auckland
If damp is the problem, we'd have a roofer check the roof space, flashings and spouting before anyone paints over mould inside, because paint won't stop water that's still getting in. On a house less than a year old, we'd put every leak in writing to the builder straight away. Either way, we'll pass the job to one checked local roofer if we have one in your suburb, and tell you plainly if we don't.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.