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Roofers in Manawatū-WhanganuiWindy inland, salty on the coast, floods in between.

Roofs in Manawatū-Whanganui take strong winds from the westerly quarter, river floods, salt spray along the Whanganui coast and, around Palmerston North, earthquake risk from the Wellington Fault system and the Hikurangi subduction zone. Building consent goes through your city or district council, and the national rules on LBPs, contracts and asbestos apply here too. Pick your city below, or describe the job and we'll find a roofer nearby who specialises in it, if we have one in your part of the region.

What roofs face across the region

Wind that tests every fixing

Palmerston North records gusts over 63 km/h on about 50 days a year, and Whanganui's Spriggens Park sees gusts of 63 km/h or more on 59. Spring is the windiest season in both, so that's when ridging and flashings take the most strain.

Salt on the Whanganui coast

Whanganui faces the South Taranaki Bight, where swells run much higher than off the east coast. Homes within 500 m of the coast or 100 m of tidal estuaries and sheltered inlets sit in NZS 3604 exposure zone D, and E2/AS1 adds a zone E for breaking surf beach fronts, worth raising with a roofer if you live near Castlecliff Beach.

Rivers that flood

The February 2004 storm brought a Civil Defence emergency across the whole region and damaged 500 houses. Whanganui's June 2015 flood was the largest its district council had recorded. Spouting, downpipes and stormwater get tested as hard as roofs.

Quake risk and old chimneys

Palmerston North City Council names the Wellington Fault system and the Hikurangi subduction zone as its main earthquake hazards. On homes built before 1970, an unreinforced brick chimney is the roof feature most worth checking.

Heritage streets

Palmerston North's District Plan lists 96 heritage buildings and objects. Whanganui's protects a Californian Bungalow precinct on Godwin Crescent and Grey Street, railway cottages on Anzac Parade and bay villas on Keith Street. On houses like these, check the planning rules before changing the roof.

Consents and code compliance certificates for houses are issued by your city or district council: Palmerston North City Council or Whanganui District Council, for example. Horizons Regional Council is the regional council across both.

Schedule 1 of the Building Act exempts most repairs, and replacements with a comparable product in the same position. If a roof failed early by leaking, or you're switching materials, consent may be needed, so ask the council first. Councils have 20 working days to decide a standard application.

Consented roofing work is restricted building work, which an LBP licensed for roofing, or a registered plumber, must do or supervise. You can look them up on the public LBP register. Taking down an old masonry chimney may also need consent.

National rules, applied locally

A contract of $30,000 or more including GST must be in writing, and the disclosure statement and checklist must reach you before you sign; you're entitled to ask for them on smaller jobs too. Keep any deposit to 10% or less, as Consumer Protection suggests.

Earthquake damage to an insured home falls under Natural Hazards Commission cover, while storm and flood damage to the house itself is for your private insurer. In homes built before 2000, assume asbestos is possible until a test says otherwise.

What we'd do in Manawatū-Whanganui

We'd have roofs and fixings checked after the spring winds. On the Whanganui coast, we'd make sure any new roofing and fixings suit the exposure zone, and get that confirmed in writing. On a pre-1970 home, we'd ask about the chimney in the same visit. And before a re-roof, we'd check consent and heritage rules with the council first.

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Cities in Manawatū-Whanganui

Roofing help in Palmerston NorthStrong gusts, active faults, river floods and older state houses: what Palmerston North roofs deal with.
Questions

Straight answers.

Is Whanganui coastal for roofing purposes?
Parts of it are. Homes within 500 m of the coast, or 100 m of tidal estuaries and sheltered inlets, are in exposure zone D under NZS 3604, which affects which fixings and roofing products suit. Your roofer should confirm the zone for your address.
Do you have roofers across the whole region?
We're still building our network, so not everywhere. If a checked roofer covers your town, your job goes to them alone; if not, we say so right away.
Related help

Helpful next

Roofing help in Palmerston NorthStrong gusts, active faults, river floods and older state houses: what Palmerston North roofs deal with.Spouting in Palmerston NorthWind, frequent rain and backed-up stormwater: how Palmerston North spouting fails, and what to do about it.Do you need a building consent to re-roof?When a re-roof is exempt, when it needs a consent, and how to find out for your house.Chimneys, earthquakes and when to remove oneWhy old brick chimneys fall in quakes, your options, and the consent and character rules.How to check a roofer is an LBPHow to look up a Licensed Building Practitioner, and when your roofing job actually needs one.Written contracts, disclosure and warrantiesWhen a roofing contract must be written, what disclosure covers, and the warranties you get by law.

Where this information comes from

Every fact and rule on this page comes from the sources above, checked on the dates shown. How we write and check these pages.

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