The Whakatāne District Council has replaced all rural distance-based address (formerly RAPID) numbers in the district. The numbers have been installed, where possible, on the left hand side of your property's entrance at a height approved by the Emergency Services Committee.

These numbers have been designed to last for years, and they have successfully been installed in various other districts around New Zealand. Once the new numbers have been installed, any subsequent replacement will be at the responsibility of the landowner.

It is not possible to change your number on request, as it is based on a distance along a road, and every number represents 10 metres.

Accurate distance-based address numbers are particularly important for emergency services such as police, ambulance, fire department and Civil Defence.

How distance-based address numbers work

Properties are given a unique number based on their distance along a road from its start point or intersection with another road. Numbers are allocated based on the number of metres from the start of the road to the entrance of your house. Properties on the left hand side of the road are allocated odd numbers, and those on the right are given even numbers.

Therefore, if your house has been measured at 2213 metres along your road, and your entrance is on the left-hand-side, your number will be 221.

If two or more properties share the same entrance, the properties will be designated with an A, B, C, etc, for example 65B Hill Road. When more than five suffixes are required, the road or right-of-way should be named. The numbers will be placed at the right-of-way entrance from the public road.

Replacement numbers

Your distance-based address number should have been replaced by now. If you have not had one replaced or require a new number, please contact Customer Services on 07 306 0500 or 0800 306 0500 (Murupara and Galatea residents only).