East Auckland's homes and coast
From holiday spots to suburbs
Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach, Shelly Park and Cockle Bay were holiday spots in the 1910s and 1920s. Major suburban growth around Howick and Pakuranga came from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Still growing in the south
Total dwellings in the Flat Bush area rose from 8793 in 2018 to 12,156 in 2023, up 38%.
Auckland's biggest local board
The Howick Local Board area had 46,872 occupied private dwellings in 2023, more than any other. 79.7% were separate houses and 31.7% of households paid rent.
Plenty of portable heat
In 2023, 44.9% of Howick Local Board homes used an electric heater as a main heater, 4.1% a portable gas heater and 4.7% nothing at all. 68.9% had a heat pump.
Less damp than average
Stats NZ counted 15.3% of occupied homes in the Howick Local Board area as always or sometimes damp in 2023, below the national 2.3% always and 15.8% sometimes.
Beaches and the strait
East Auckland borders the Tāmaki River mouth and the Tāmaki Strait. BRANZ's summary of NZS 3604 puts land within 500 m of the coast in exposure zone D, where salt spray is a high risk.
Matching the heat pump to the house
A house from the 1950s to the 1970s. The living area usually comes first. Consumer NZ says a split system works best in the main living area of an open-plan home. A multi-room heat pump can add bedrooms from one outdoor unit, although Consumer NZ notes one room can't cool while another heats.
A 2000s home in Flat Bush or Dannemora. If there's usable ceiling space, it's worth getting a ducted heat pump in Auckland priced alongside high-wall units. BRANZ says ducted systems usually recirculate room air without a fresh supply, so plan ventilation separately.
Near Howick village. Howick is a Business special character area. For additions to its character defining buildings, the Unitary Plan asks whether air conditioning units are placed and designed sympathetically.
Close neighbours. In residential zones the Unitary Plan limits noise, measured within the neighbouring site, to 50dB LAeq from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday (9am to 6pm on Sunday) and 40dB LAeq at other times. BRANZ says to site outdoor units away from bedrooms.
Describe the house and the rooms you want heated. Local installers who specialise in that kind of job see it, and if it's left untaken for 48 hours, heat pump installers in other parts of the Auckland region may see it too.
What we'd do
Our take for East Auckland
We'd let the house decide. In an older home we'd heat the living area properly first and add bedrooms later if they need it; in a newer home with a good ceiling space we'd get a ducted option quoted too. Either way, we'd retire the portable heaters. BRANZ says fixed heaters such as heat pumps are more cost-effective to run than portable ones.