Q. How can I find out what suburb my property is in?

A. You can find out which suburb your property is in by:

• visiting our website www.northshorecity.govt.nz and clicking on the Suburb Search; or
• visiting your library or area office which will have information and maps on display; or
• contacting the council on 486 8600.

Q. Why has the council redefined the city’s suburbs?

A. We’ve redefined the suburbs to reflect growth and the new communities that have established in the city. Suburbs were last defined in the 1970s and since then the city has experienced the amalgamation of the former local authorities in 1989, urban development, and emerging and changing communities.

As a result a number of locality names have been adopted by the communities living within these areas. Under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act of 1946, local councils are required to clearly define and name all suburbs. To reflect the changes in the city, the council felt it was necessary to look at the city’s composition and better define its suburbs.

We also wanted to make it easier for the Emergency Services’ centralised call centres such as Police, Ambulance and Fire service to locate specific addresses when calls are made for help.

Q. What process did you use to determine the suburbs?

A. We went through the official process to define and approve the city’s suburbs:

• We worked closely with councillors and Community Board members to ensure that the views of their local communities were taken into consideration. We also consulted with a number of key organisations (including Iwi, the Real Estate Institute and Emergency Services) to define suburbs based on the communities that had already established in the city.

• The proposed names were submitted to the New Zealand Geographic Board for approval. They publicly notified their intention to assign these suburb names and provided people with the opportunity to set out any objections in writing. The first 42 suburbs were publicly notified in the New Zealand Herald, North Shore Times and several other newspapers on 1 and 2 June 2007, with the remaining two suburbs being publicly notified in the same newspapers on 19, 20 and 21 December 2007. Some objections were received and dealt with.

• The New Zealand Geographic Board approved the first 42 suburb names in December 2007 and the remaining two suburbs in May 2008. The names were published in the government’s official newspaper, the New Zealand Gazette.

The names have now been approved by the government agency responsible for approving place names including suburbs, the New Zealand Geographic Board.

Q. How many suburbs does North Shore City have?

A. North Shore City now has 44 suburbs.

Q. When should I start to use the suburb names?

A. The suburb names have been approved by the government agency responsible for approving place names including suburbs, the New Zealand Geographic Board. You should start to use these suburb names from now on. Your next rates bill in September will include the correct suburb in the address. We have already provided the Emergency Services, New Zealand Post and other key organisations with the approved suburb data and are continuing to work with them to ensure that their address data is updated as soon as possible. This is an ongoing process with the aim of all organisations being able to use a co-ordinated set of address data in the near future.

Q. What criteria did you use to define the suburbs?

A. There are a number of factors that help define a suburb. We consulted with the community and a number of key organisations (including Community Boards, Iwi, the Real Estate Institute and Emergency Services) to define suburbs based on the communities that had already established in the city. We also considered a variety of criteria to define the suburbs including existing names and reference material, heritage values and historic identity, community neighbourhoods and characteristics, physical and natural features, growth patterns and geographic location.

Full list of criteria

Q. How do suburbs fit in with New Zealand Post’s new postcodes?

A. Suburbs are different to post codes but both form part of your address. Suburbs are names given to areas within the city which have an established community living there, and often with other community and business services. Post codes, which are 4 digit numbers, were introduced by New Zealand Post in 2006 to create a unique delivery point for every address in New Zealand Post’s delivery network. If you would like to check what your postcode is, you can find out by visiting the New Zealand Post website and using the postcode finder.

Q. How should I write my address?

A. Your address should comprise a street number and name, suburb, city and post code, and of course be headed with your personal or business name. The layout will vary when using rural, PO Box or Private Bag addresses. For more information on addressing mail, please visit the New Zealand Post website.

For example, the physical address for the council’s head office in Takapuna is:

North Shore City Council
1 The Strand
Takapuna
North Shore City 0622

Q. Will I still be covered by the same area office, community board and library?

A. Yes, you will still be covered by the same area office and Community Board. North Shore City residents and ratepayers are able to join and use any library within the city’s boundaries.

Q. My map book will be out of date – when will the new ones be ready?

A. We are liaising with map book publishers to ensure they have the right information about our city’s suburbs. New map books are generally published on a yearly basis but some more frequently. We hope that map book publishers will include the city’s suburbs on their maps books by the end of the year, subject to their publishing timeframes.

Q. How does it make it easier for the Emergency Services?

A. Some street names can be found in more than one part of the city and often in other cities as well. The Emergency Services now have centralised call centres so the person that responds to your call may not know exactly which part of the country you are calling from. Providing the Emergency Service’s operator with a full address including street number, name, suburb and city will make it easier for them to locate you and ensure they can deal with the problem as quickly as possible.

Q. How will this affect my water and rates bill?

A. Your rates and water bills will not be affected. Your next rates bill in September will include the correct suburb in the address.

Q. How will this affect my rubbish collection?

A. Your rubbish collection should not be affected. Rubbish collections are based on streets not suburbs. Any changes to rubbish collections will be advised using the usual channels.

Q. How will this affect my mail?

A. It should not affect your mail. We have already provided New Zealand Post, the Emergency Services and other key organisations with our suburb data and are continuing to work with them to ensure that their address data is updated as soon as possible. This is an ongoing process with the aim of all organisations being able to use a co-ordinated set of address data in the near future.

Q. Who can I contact for more information?

• Email us at actionline@northshorecity.govt.nz; or
• Write to North Shore City Council, 1 The Strand, Takapuna, North Shore City 0622; or
• Contact us on 486 8600.