New Lynn up close
A brick and clay town
By 1870 there were 13 brick and clay yards on the local waterways. New Lynn became a borough on 1 April 1919, after its population grew five times in the 1900s.
Up, not out
Medium and high density housing has gone up near the town centre and station since 2010. The Merchant Quarter tower, one of the tallest buildings in West Auckland, opened in 2015.
A lot of joined homes
In the Whau board area, 27.8% of homes were joined dwellings in 2023 and 42.7% of households paid rent. New Lynn had 7,428 dwellings.
Great North Road floods
In the March 2017 deluge, people were trapped in floodwater on Great North Road in New Lynn.
Electrical work in an apartment or townhouse complex
In most complexes, the wiring inside your unit is yours, but risers, the main switchboard, car park power and anything on common walls belong to the body corporate. Before you book an electrician for anything beyond a light fitting, check your body corporate rules and talk to the manager.
EV charging in a shared garage is the job that comes up most. The charger has to come off the right supply, be metered fairly, and fit within the building's capacity. Gen Less says a home charger needs its own sub-circuit and a Type B RCD, and WorkSafe recommends assessing maximum demand first. An electrician who has done chargers in apartment buildings will know what the body corporate will ask. See EV charger installation.
Older New Lynn houses
Away from the towers, many houses still have their original boards. If yours has rewireable fuses or no RCDs, a switchboard upgrade is the first job. Landlords here also need heating and extractor fans that meet the healthy homes standards.
Our advice for New Lynn
In an apartment, we'd get the body corporate's written OK before getting quotes, and send the electrician a copy. It saves a wasted visit and gives the electrician the building details they'll need.
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.