Where can I complain?

You can complain at any time of the day or night to our 24 hour service. Phone when the noise is happening so that action can be taken.

How do I complain?

Contact our Call Centre 24 hours 7 days by phoning 09 262 5104.

Your complaint will then be followed up by a Noise Control Officer. All complaints will be treated confidentially.

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Response times for a noise control officer

The time between your call to our call centre and a Noise Control Officer arriving on site should not exceed one hour.

The Noise Control Officers try to attend 80 per cent of all calls within 35 minutes and attend the remaining jobs within the one hour timeframe.

What happens if noise continues?

If the noise continues you'll need to call us back to advise that the noise is still disturbing you and to find out what action has been taken by a Noise Control Officer.

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What happens when I make a complaint?

A Noise Control Officer will visit the property where the noise is coming from. If the noise is assessed as 'reasonable', no further action will be taken. If the noise is 'excessive', an Excessive Noise Direction will be served.

What is an Excessive Noise Direction?

This notice tells the person responsible for the noise to reduce it to a reasonable level. The notice remains in force for up to 72 hours. If the noise direction is ignored, equipment can be seized or made inoperable and the owner can receive an instant $500 fine.

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What happens when equipment is confiscated?

All confiscated equipment will be held by us for safekeeping. The equipment will be returned if we are satisfied that it won't be used to cause noise problems again.

To ensure the equipment is returned to the correct owner you will need to bring proof of identity and the original copy of the seizure notice. You'll need to pay $250 (in cash or eftpos) to cover the cost of seizure and storage. We do have the right to retain the seized equipment.

What about alarms?

Alarms must stop sounding after 15 minutes and have to be manually set. You can complain about alarms that don't stop after 15 minutes by phoning our call centre on 09 262 5104. An alarm technician accompanied by the police will make the alarm inoperable. The owner of the property will be charged for any costs incurred.

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What about construction noise?

Noisy construction work is not allowed during the following hours: Monday - Saturday 6pm - 7am and on Sundays and Public Holidays.

This often a condition in a resource consent for major works. Although some road works are allowed at night, this is normally only in areas where there would be too much disruption to traffic during the day. Contractors are encouraged to do the noisiest part of the work as early as possible.

Ongoing problems with noise

More action may be needed to deal effectively with some noise sources, such as noise from industrial or commercial sites. We have council officers who can discuss the matter with you.

Noise from moving vehicles such as cars, aircraft, boats and trains is not under our control.

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