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 the 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 such as 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 in receiving essentials and help where it's needed.
When a subdivision is finalised, our valuations contractor, Quotable Value, is notified. They will set out to value each new property. On completion, the council will be provided with the valuation information and survey plan details to set up the new properties in our system.
From there, 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, 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 at an 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 that
- 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 and odd numbers are on the left. Existing numbers before the pre-addressing standard will be retained.
If you have concerns with your street number, please contact our call centre team on 0800 920 029 and raise a request for service or email ask.us@fndc.govt.nz
The Standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011 Rural and urban addressing) is made by Land Information NZ (LINZ) for use by territorial authorities, which all councils follow.
This keeps addresses as simple as possible so 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 under 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 its national database. These are available to emergency services and data resellers. Councils advise LINZ of all new and changed numbering and also inform NZ Post. These updates are done on a monthly basis.
A driveway with more than five houses should be named as a private road.
A driveway with the potential to subdivide into more than five properties should also be named as a private road.
This is in accordance with the 'Guidelines for addressing 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 it easier for the public to locate your property.
To do this, you would submit an application on behalf of other owners on your future private road with three potential road names. These are sent for an approval process. Call our contact centre on 0800 920 029 for more information.