How Whitby was built
A new town on farmland
A consortium of Fletcher Mainline, the Todd Group's Jubilee Investments and National Mutual Life bought about 1,290 ha of farmland in 1967 and planned Whitby on North American new-town lines. Eight homes were occupied by May 1971.
On the inlet's southern shore
Whitby runs along much of the southern shore of the Pāuatahanui Inlet, an arm of Porirua Harbour. Early earthworks were enough to cause noticeable silting of the inlet in the early 1970s.
Still growing up the hills
Whitby had 3,975 dwellings in 2023 and its population was up 13.3% on 2018, with new expansion in the hills behind the eastern side.
Wind on the ridges
Porirua City Council's wind zone data runs up to Very High, plus Specific Design areas outside NZS 3604. Nearby Mana Island recorded a 148 km/h gust in June 2013.
Which Whitby roof do you have?
1970s and early 1980s houses. Stone-chip metal tiles, often called decramastic, were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Gerard says asbestos was used in tile coatings until 1981, with some roofs installed as late as 1982. A roofer will want a test before removal, and water-blasting is out until you know. See decramastic roofs and is my roof asbestos?
Late 1980s to 2004 houses. Many leaky homes were timber-framed houses from 1988 to 2004, often with flat roofs, minimal eaves and complex roof shapes. A flat roof with blocked outlets or tired membrane is the usual culprit. See flat roof repair.
New houses up the hill. These need the builder's paperwork kept safe, and a roof specified for the site's wind zone.
Salt near the water
Under NZS 3604, Porirua homes within 500 m of the coast including the harbour, or 100 m of a tidal estuary or inlet, are in exposure zone D, where structural fixings other than nails and screws must be grade 304 stainless or better. Streets close to the inlet edge should have the zone confirmed before any new metal goes on.
Where we'd begin with a Whitby house
We'd start by finding out the build year from the council property file. On a 1970s house with stone-chip tiles, we'd test for asbestos before anything else, then decide between painting and replacing decramastic with COLORSTEEL. On a 1990s house with a flat roof, we'd get the outlets and membrane checked before winter. We'll pass your job to one checked roofer covering Whitby if we have one.
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.