What makes Devonport different
Old, and proud of it
Devonport became a borough in 1886 and keeps many old villas, some from the 19th century. It sits under the three volcanic cones of the Auckland field, with the navy base on the waterfront.
Special character rules
Devonport and Stanley Point is a special character area in the Unitary Plan. Repairs and restoration are permitted, but external alterations or additions are restricted discretionary, so a new meter board position or outdoor fittings on a street-facing wall may need a planner's view first.
Fewer people, same houses
Devonport had 5,079 residents in 2,097 dwellings in 2023, fewer people than in 2018 or 2013.
Slips in 2023
Auckland Emergency Management reported landslides and flooding in Devonport during the renewed heavy rain of 1 February 2023.
A third rent
In Devonport-Takapuna, 34.3% of households rented in 2023, so landlords here need smoke alarms and healthy homes work too.
Wiring in a Devonport villa
The usual signs of tired wiring are a board with rewireable fuses, no RCDs, power points with only two holes, or cable with rubber or fabric insulation that has gone brittle. If you see any of them, get a rewiring specialist to look before you renovate.
Rewiring a villa is slow, careful work. A good electrician will plan cable routes through the ceiling and under the floor so that scotia, skirtings and plaster ceilings survive, and will tell you which rooms they can reach without opening anything up.
A full rewire is general work, so you'll get a Certificate of Compliance and an Electrical Safety Certificate. If the job includes a new higher-capacity board, that part is high-risk and gets an independent inspection as well.
If it were our villa
We'd rewire in stages that match the renovation, starting with the board and the circuits in the rooms being opened up. Ask the electrician to label every circuit on the new board and leave you a simple map. Whoever comes next will thank you.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.