Roofing in the Wellington regionGusty south coast, frosty valleys, an eroding west coast.

What's different from place to place

Lower Hutt. The Natural Hazards Commission, citing Hutt City Council, calls Hutt City the most densely populated floodplain in New Zealand, protected by stopbanks. Wainuiomata Reservoir averages 1,800 mm of rain a year, so spouting and downpipes there work hard.

Upper Hutt. Wallaceville has the lowest mean wind speed of the region's listed stations and 43 fog days a year, the most in the region. WREMO says Upper Hutt is the only district in the region with no tsunami risk. Damp, shaded roofs grow moss, and frost makes any roof slippery.

Porirua. By 1977, 78% of Porirua was state housing, and cheaper materials such as fibrolite cladding came into use. WorkSafe says fibrolite sheets usually contain asbestos, so test before anyone cuts, drills or water-blasts. A 2014 study found three active faults cross the city, the Ohariu Fault the most active.

Kāpiti Coast. The council projects erosion at Raumati Beach of 31 m by 2050, and a 2011 tornado at Peka Peka Beach blew roofs off. Homes within 500 m of the coast are in exposure zone D, so roofing steel and fixings need to suit the salt.

Wellington city. Gales, hail in the hill suburbs and the Wellington Fault itself; see our Wellington page for the detail.

Councils and building consent in the region

For a house, building consents and code compliance certificates come from your city or district council: Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, Porirua City, Kāpiti Coast District or one of the Wairarapa councils. Greater Wellington Regional Council's combined wind zone map is handy for a first look, but it warns it can't be used to set a wind zone for design or consent.

Wind zones vary by council. Upper Hutt City Council says its wind data is only indicative and its building team strongly suggests an independent assessment for every site. Porirua's dataset classes areas from Medium to Very High, plus specific design.

Upper Hutt's Plan Change 47 remapped the Wellington Fault and added hazard overlays. They affect new building platforms and subdivisions; existing homes in the poor-ground overlay aren't affected. If you're extending as well as re-roofing, ask the council.

The national rules apply everywhere. Many like-for-like repairs and re-roofs are exempt from consent under Schedule 1, but not all, so check with your council or roofer. Consented roofing work must be done or supervised by an LBP, and bigger jobs need a written contract and disclosure statement; our contracts guide explains when. Our building consent guide has more on consents.