Property Numbering
What is it
Urban numbering is applied to residential, commercial and industrial areas. A sequential numbering pattern is followed.
Rural numbering is based on the distance down the road for properties located rurally. See RAPID numbering for details.
A separate numbering standard is set out for Retirement Villages.
Why it is important to follow council's street numbering
District and city councils are the only authorities responsible for allocating road names and property numbers. We can allocate or change a road name or property number.
Property addressing is needed for mail, emergency services like fire, police, and ambulance, as well as utilities like power and water. It’s also the basis of New Zealand’s voting system.
Addresses will be allocated following The Standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011) to make sure there is no delay receiving essentials and help where it's needed.
When a subdivision is finalised, Quotable Value are notified. As our valuations contractor they will set out to value each new property. Upon completion council will be provided with the valuation information and survey plan details to set up the new properties in our system.
From here the Property Information team will allocate an address to each new property and a letter or email sent to the developer/owner to advise.
Urban areas will be numbered straight away however rural areas will require identification of a driveway before allocating a RAPID number. See RAPID numbering for details.
How do I change or query my address
Contact the council via phone or email and raise an addressing query for the Property Information team.
Property owners or residents sometimes want to have a part in the numbering process and can talk to their council about this. However, ultimately councils are legally responsible for allocating property numbers and passing them on to LINZ.
- For mail delivery to your rural address, you must register new RAPID numbers with NZ Post either online or in a NZ Postshop
- Each driveway requires their own street number including RAPID numbering. Shared driveways will follow alpha numerical numbering.
- RAPID numbering is a measurement and is not a precise science. If the RAPID number is not exact, there is a numbering-related reason for this
- Emergency services use LINZ national data provided by council, so using your council-allocated number is essential to locate you
- Even numbers are on the right side of the road, odd numbers on the left (Existing numbers before pre-addressing standard will be retained)
If you have concerns with your street number please contact our call centre team and raise a service request.
The Standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011 Rural and urban addressing) is made by Land Information NZ for use by territorial authorities, which all councils follow.
It keeps addresses as simple as possible so that they can be easily understood by members of the public who are trying to find a property. Addressing conventions promote national consistency.
Street numbers are allocated pursuant to Section 319B of the Local Government Act 1974. District and city councils are responsible for allocating road names and property numbers. They can allocate or change a road name or property number.
LINZ holds the official numbering of all NZ addresses in their national database. Available to emergency services and data resellers. Councils advise LINZ of all new and changed numbering. We also advise NZ Post, these updates are done on a monthly basis.
A driveway with more than 5 houses should be named as a private road.
A driveway with the potential to subdivide into more than 5 properties should be named as a private road.
This is in accordance with the 'Guidelines for addresssing in-fill developments' Guidelines for Addressing In-fill Developments 2019 - LINZ OP G 01245 | Toitū Te Whenua - Land Information New Zealand
It may seem like an added responsibility to your development, but the goal is always to simplify addressing to make locating you much easier to the public.
Briefly, you would submit an application on behalf of other owners on your future private road, with 3 potential road names. These are sent for an approval process. Call our contact centre for more information.