Design preview. Not a live service yet, so the quote form doesn't send anything.
Roofers aim to call you within the hour.
Find my roofer
Local know-how

Roofers in Nelson TasmanSunny most of the time, wild when it isn't.

Nelson Tasman is one of the sunniest parts of New Zealand, with Nelson often among the four sunniest places. The region also gets intense storms, like the April 2013 rain that flooded about 90 homes across Nelson and Tasman, and slips tend to follow. Building consent comes from your local council, and the national rules on LBPs and natural hazard cover apply throughout.

What's different about roofs in Nelson Tasman

Sun that wears paint

Nelson City averages about 2,400 sunshine hours a year, and NIWA says UV is higher here than in New Zealand's southernmost places. Fading and chalking paint is the slow, steady cost of that.

Storms that set records

In December 2011 more than 200 landslides struck the region, and in August 2022 an atmospheric river sent the Maitai River to 459 cumecs, nearly double its previous record. In April 2013 the worst flooding was along Orphanage Creek in Stoke.

Snow, very occasionally

Nelson Airport averages 0.1 snow days a year, but on 24 August 2011 snow settled at low levels around Nelson and Tasman, including Motueka and Appleby. It's rare enough that most roofs here aren't detailed for it.

A history of chimney damage

The 1929 Murchison earthquake (Mw 7.3) damaged many brick buildings and chimneys in Nelson. Older homes that still have brick chimneys are worth a roofer's opinion, especially if the chimney is cracked or no longer used.

Salt around Tasman Bay

Homes within 500 m of the coast, harbours included, or 100 m of a tidal estuary, are in exposure Zone D, and breaking-surf beachfronts can be Zone E under E2/AS1. The zone decides which steel, fixings and spouting will last.

Nelson City Council issues building consents in the city, and Tasman District Council covers Richmond, Motueka and the rest of Tasman District. Like-for-like roofing with a comparable product in the same position is usually exempt under Schedule 1, but exempt work still has to meet the Building Code and the district plan. A consented roof on a house is restricted building work, done or supervised by an LBP who gives you a Record of Work.

Nelson's South Street area is designated as having heritage value. Heritage New Zealand says works that may modify or destroy a pre-1900 structure need an archaeological authority, and some places are scheduled in the district plan as well, so check both before changing an old roof.

Slips, floods and insurance

After a landslide, the Natural Hazards Commission covers both the home and the land. After a storm or flood, it covers only the land, and damage to the house goes to your private insurer. Its land cover takes in the land within 8 metres of your home and the main access way up to 60 metres away.

If your record of title carries a section 72 notice saying the property is affected by a natural hazard, the commission can fully or partly decline a claim for damage from that same hazard. On a slip-prone section, it's worth knowing that before you need to claim. Our NHC guide explains the rest.

Our take for Nelson Tasman

We'd plan painting for the dry late summer, get spouting and valleys cleared before the winter storms, and if your section sits near a slope, read your title for any section 72 notice now rather than after a slip. On older homes, we'd ask a roofer to look at any brick chimney. We pass jobs to one checked roofer where we have one in your area, and tell you straight away 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.

Find my roofer
Pick your city

Cities in Nelson Tasman

Nelson roofsSun, record storms, slips and old brick chimneys: what Nelson roofs face, and the jobs that follow.
Questions

Straight answers.

Which council handles consents in Richmond?
Richmond is in Tasman District, so it's Tasman District Council. Inside Nelson city, it's Nelson City Council.
Does the Natural Hazards Commission cover slip damage to my roof?
Yes. After a landslide, its cover applies to both your home and your land, and your home insurer usually manages the claim. A section 72 notice on your title can affect that, so check yours.
Related help

Helpful next

Nelson roofsSun, record storms, slips and old brick chimneys: what Nelson roofs face, and the jobs that follow.Roof painting in NelsonPainting a roof in Nelson: sun wear, the dry-month window, salt near the bay and what a quote should cover.The Natural Hazards Commission and your roofWhat EQC became, what it covers for a damaged roof, the cap, the excess and how to lodge a claim.Chimneys, earthquakes and when to remove oneWhy old brick chimneys fall in quakes, your options, and the consent and character rules.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.

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.

Find my roofer
Design preview. Not a live service yet, so the quote form doesn't send anything.