RAPID numbering

RAPID numbering is subject to the following Standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011)

Your RAPID number is based on the distance from the start of the road to your main vehicle entrance. This distance is divided by ten, rounded to a whole number, and adjusted to an even or odd number depending on which side of the road your property is on (even numbers on the right and odd numbers on the left hand side of the road).

Your RAPID number should be placed on the gate post at your property entrance, ideally on the side that emergency services will approach from. It must be clearly visible and not hidden by vegetation.

Only homes and businesses need RAPID numbers. Buildings used occasionally, like shearing sheds, don’t need to be numbered. If a dairy shed has its own road access, it should have a number. If it shares access with a dwelling, the dwelling’s number can be used.

In accordance with the AS/NZ Standard (AS/NZS 4819:2011), if a driveway provides access to more than five residential properties, it must be named as a private road.

Similarly, if a driveway has the potential to be subdivided into more than five lots in the future, it should also be named as a private road.

While this may seem like an additional step in your development process, the purpose is to ensure clear and consistent addressing. This helps emergency services, delivery providers, and visitors locate properties more easily.

To name a private road, you’ll need to apply on behalf of the other property owners. The application must include three proposed road names, which will go through an approval process.

For more information or assistance, please contact our team at;
Phone: 0800 492 452
Email: PropertyNumberingRequests@waidc.govt.nz

If it is not immediately apparent where the dwelling is from the entry point to the property (i.e., the dwelling is located some distance away via forking farm tracks and difficult to locate) then signage should be placed at appropriate points on-site to direct emergency services to the dwellings. 

It is a good idea to check with Council that your property/RAPID number is correct.

There are many instances where farms may have had the same number for many years but for several reasons, it is no longer correct. Such reasons could include:

• Historical incorrect or non-numbering that has never been rectified.
• Provisional numbers being assigned at subdivision and have not been updated when development occurs.
• Subsequent dwellings or businesses constructed on a property and numbers have not been assigned.
• Vehicular access to a property being relocated without Council knowledge and property not re-numbered.

If your RAPID number needs to be updated, Council will notify you and update our records.

The following agencies are then informed and advised to update their records:

• CoreLogic
• Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
• NZ Post
• WDC Rates Team
• WDC Waters Team.

We recommend using our preferred RAPID plate style, but alternative formats are acceptable as long as they are bold, clear, and visible at night.

See example of Waikato District Council RAPID Plate below;