Best Drainlayers & Drain Unblockers in Wellington

We assessed 9 drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 221 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 21 September 2026. How we rank

Top 5 Drainlayers & Drain Unblockers in Wellington

The top 5 drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington are #1 Drain Doctor, #2 Leslie Drain Clearing, #3 Superdrains, #4 Drainage Control, and #5 Nuflow Wellington, ranked by Top5 Score.

  1. 1 Drain Doctor ★ 4.8 · 116 reviews · Score 157
  2. 2 Leslie Drain Clearing ★ 4.9 · 29 reviews · Score 141
  3. 3 Superdrains Limited ★ 5.0 · 20 reviews · Score 139
  4. 4 Drainage Control NZ LTD ★ 4.8 · 21 reviews · Score 135
  5. 5 Nuflow Wellington ★ 5.0 · 9 reviews · Score 129
  • 1

    Drain Doctor

    ★ 4.8 116 reviews Score 157
    5★ 109 4★ 3 1★ 4

    Drain Doctor clears blocked sewer pipes, stormwater drains, and gully traps, and also takes on larger drainlaying work like collapsed pipe replacement, sump installation, and relining.

    31 Burden Avenue, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt

    Call 0800 564 526 Map Is this your business?
  • 2

    Leslie Drain Clearing

    ★ 4.9 29 reviews Score 141
    5★ 28 1★ 1

    Leslie Drain Clearing gets blocked drains, sewer lines, stormwater pipes, and collapsed drain repairs sorted fast, often on the same day you call.

    9 Tennyson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt

    Call 04 979 7357 Map Is this your business?
  • 3

    Superdrains Limited

    ★ 5.0 20 reviews Score 139
    5★ 19 4★ 1

    Superdrains takes on blocked sewer drains, CCTV pipe inspection, and excavation work, with Malcolm known for contacting neighbours, liaising with councils, and tracking down specialist contacts when the fix goes beyond a straightforward clearance.

    Call 027 862 5625 Map Is this your business?
  • 4

    Drainage Control NZ LTD

    ★ 4.8 21 reviews Score 135
    5★ 20 1★ 1

    Drainage Control takes on substantial drainage work including full system installations, sump replacement with concrete repair, water seepage resolution, and CCTV pipe inspections for insurance reports.

    Level 3/21/29 Broderick Road, Johnsonville, Wellington

    Call 029 970 3799 Map Is this your business?
  • 5

    Nuflow Wellington

    ★ 5.0 9 reviews Score 129
    5★ 9

    Nuflow Wellington carries out sewer drain clearing, pipe relining, and water ingress repairs, walking clients through all available options before any work begins.

    38/16 Jamaica Drive, Grenada North, Wellington

    Call 021 758 621 Map Is this your business?
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Before you hire a drainlayer in Wellington

Laying, altering, repairing or opening up a private drain is restricted work: it must be done by someone holding a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, or under the supervision of one, and there is no exemption for householders doing it themselves. Clearing a blockage is not named in that list, but a cracked or collapsed pipe found on the camera is, so ask to see the CCTV footage before you agree to a repair.

The questions below are drawn from 185 customer reviews collected for this page.

How much does it cost to unblock a drain in New Zealand?

Installer-published prices give a useful starting point, though these figures come from providers' own pages, not an independent survey. One published rate is $285 plus GST for the first hour using an unblocking truck, then $210 plus GST per hour after that, with a CCTV camera inspection included at no extra charge.

A separate published rate sets standard unblocking from $350 plus GST including a camera inspection, a standalone CCTV inspection at $250 plus GST for up to one hour, and an after-hours or emergency call at $550 plus GST. GST is 15 percent, so a $285 plus GST first-hour rate works out to $327.75 in your hand.

Does a drainlayer need a licence, and who pays when a drain is blocked?

Laying, altering, repairing, opening up or renewing a private drain, and fitting a gully trap or connecting to a septic tank, is drainlaying under the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006 and must be done by someone holding a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB), or working under the supervision of one. There is no householder exemption for drainlaying, and any repair a camera inspection reveals is restricted work requiring a licensed person.

The PGDB registers three classes, restricted, drainlayer, and certifying drainlayer, and maintains a public register you can check before hiring anyone. Clearing a blockage is not named in the Act's definition of drainlaying, but pipes on your side of the boundary connection point are your responsibility: in Auckland, Watercare asks residents to call Watercare first before calling a tradesperson, and for other cities you should check with your local council or water utility. In a rental, tenants must tell the landlord straight away about any drain fault, and if careless tenant behaviour caused the blockage, the tenant's liability is capped at four weeks' rent or the landlord's insurance excess, whichever is lower.

Is a blocked drain a quick unblock, or a sign the drain needs repairing?

A one-off blockage caused by fat, wipes or hair is usually cleared in a single visit, but a drain that keeps blocking, gurgles, smells, or backs up at the gully trap is often pointing to something structural underneath, such as tree roots forcing into joints, a cracked or sunken pipe, or a failed fitting. A CCTV camera inspection is the reliable way to tell the difference, and several reviewers specifically valued being shown the footage on the spot or told plainly when a clean was all that was needed, rather than being pushed toward a repair. Asking the crew to show you the footage before you agree to anything beyond the initial unblock puts you in a far better position, and good operators will also tell you what not to put down the drain to reduce the chance of it happening again.

What are the warning signs of a drain company to avoid?
  • –A phone estimate that grows significantly once the crew is on site, with no clear explanation of what changed.
  • –An hourly rate that appears to start before the operator arrives, as one reviewer described being charged for time spent on a phone call prior to any work beginning.
  • –A push to approve a repair or relining without being shown the camera footage first, so you have no way to judge whether the work is actually needed.
  • –A blockage that returns within days and the company is unwilling to come back without charging again.
  • –Mess or damage left around the gully trap, garden, or excavation site after the job, which at least one reviewer experienced with raw sewage left unaddressed.
  • –After-hours or weekend rates not disclosed before anyone is dispatched, leaving you with a much larger invoice than expected.
What should you ask a drainlayer or drain unblocker before they start?
  • –Ask whether the price is a fixed first-visit fee or hourly, and confirm whether it includes GST, because published rates are often stated exclusive of GST.
  • –Ask whether a high-pressure water jetter truck and a CCTV camera inspection are included in the quoted price or charged as extras.
  • –Ask to be shown or sent the camera footage before agreeing to any repair work beyond the initial unblock.
  • –If any repair is needed on site, ask which crew member holds a current practising licence from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, since repair work is restricted to licensed drainlayers.
  • –Ask what happens if the blockage returns within a short period, and whether a follow-up visit is covered.
  • –For an urgent or weekend job, confirm the after-hours rate before anyone is dispatched so there are no surprises on the invoice.

More rankings

Related services in Wellington 3 links
Drainlayers & Drain Unblockers elsewhere in New Zealand 2 links
More home improvement rankings in Wellington 14 links

About this ranking

What the 9 drainlayers & drain unblockers listed above hold, at the 21 September 2026 check.

116
reviews held by the #1 ranked business
9
reviews held by the #5 ranked business
4.6
lowest rating among the 9 listed
3.2%
of their 221 reviews are one-star
How are the top drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington chosen?

We build this page from Google Maps results for drainlayers & drain unblockers in Wellington. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record, using the same published method on every page. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. See how we rank for how rankings are made and who is left out.

Are you a drainlayer in Wellington?

No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying your listing is free: it adds a small trust bonus (+3 points) to your score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing, and gives you a dashboard showing how your score is made up. A paid subscription adds a website link, a profile page and your ranking history. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.

Not listed? The usual reasons are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Check where you rank first, and if you think we missed you, get in touch.

How far is each one from you?

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