Stop Searching. Start Choosing.
Top5.nz

Best Plumbers in Palmerston North

We assessed 41 plumbers in Palmerston North and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 1,372 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 3 September 2026. How we rank

Before you hire

Plumbers in NZ must be registered with the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, whether you need an emergency call-out, a repair or a full installation. Check their registration before work starts, and make sure any gas work is carried out by a licensed gas fitter. Get a written quote that covers parts and labour.

Top 5 Plumbers in Palmerston North

The top 5 plumbers in Palmerston North are #1 Heatrite, #2 Uneeda Plumber, #3 Tricklebanks, #4 Ruahine Property Works, and #5 Semtex Plumbing, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you book.

  • 1

    Heatrite - Plumbing, Bathroom, Heating & Cooling

    ★ 4.8 410 reviews Top5 Score 174
    5★ 359 4★ 40 3★ 4 2★ 2 1★ 5

    Heatrite coordinates bathroom renovations, hot water tank installations, and general plumbing work, handling mid-job changes without fuss and leaving sites tidy. Tradespeople arrive on time, and when parts need ordering, they follow through promptly rather than leaving jobs hanging.

    83/85 Bourke Street, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?
  • 2

    Uneeda Plumber

    ★ 4.9 134 reviews Top5 Score 162
    5★ 125 4★ 7 3★ 2

    Uneeda Plumber turns around urgent jobs quickly, covering work like water leaks, hot water cylinder repairs, pipe fixes, and bathroom renovations. Plumbers like Brendon and Monique take time to explain what needs doing and why before starting, and pricing comes in at rates reviewers describe as fair and competitive.

    32 Eyre Street, Feilding

    Map Is this your business?
  • 3

    Tricklebanks 2016 Ltd

    ★ 4.9 131 reviews Top5 Score 161
    5★ 121 4★ 6 3★ 1 2★ 1 1★ 2

    Tricklebanks covers hot water cylinder installations, gas repairs, and emergency plumbing callouts, with plumbers like Murph arriving quickly and working through complex jobs with minimal disruption. For urgent gas issues, they have someone on site within the hour and finish the repair first thing the following morning.

    6 Eyre Street, Feilding

    Map Is this your business?
  • 4

    Ruahine Property Works

    ★ 4.8 145 reviews Top5 Score 160
    5★ 131 4★ 8 3★ 2 1★ 4

    Ruahine Property Works takes on plumbing work as part of broader property jobs, covering repairs like hot water fixes, excavation-led plumbing, and bathroom renovations including new toilets and vanities. When glitches come up mid-job, they sort them promptly, and a mobile bathroom on site during a bathroom reno kept one household running throughout.

    1 Keith Street, Roslyn, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?
  • 5

    Semtex Plumbing, Civil & Pipe Relining

    ★ 4.8 140 reviews Top5 Score 160
    5★ 129 4★ 5 3★ 1 2★ 1 1★ 4

    Semtex Plumbing gets blocked drains cleared, sewage overflows resolved, and hidden pipe leaks found and fixed, using CCTV cameras and sonar to locate problems without unnecessary digging. Plumbers like Nathan and Wayne walk customers through exactly what caused the issue and what was done to fix it, and office staff like Jessie keep clients informed throughout.

    58 West Street, West End, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?

Before you book a plumber in Palmerston North

Drawn from 461 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.

What do plumbers typically charge in New Zealand?

Licensed plumbers in New Zealand charge between $80 and $150 per hour plus GST for standard work. A separate call-out fee of $80 to $150 plus GST applies on top of the hourly rate.

After-hours or emergency call-outs can cost $150 to $300 or more before any labour or materials are added. Palmerston North rates sit toward the lower end of the national range compared to Auckland or Wellington.

How do I check if a plumber is registered for the work I need?

The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) is the statutory body that registers plumbers in New Zealand, and you can search its public register at pgdb.co.nz before hiring anyone. Ask the tradesperson for their registration number and check it matches their name and licence type on the register.

A Certifying Plumber can independently certify their own work, while a Licensed Plumber needs a Certifying Plumber to sign off the job. Unlicensed plumbing work is illegal and can cause serious problems with insurance claims, building consents, and property sales.

What's the difference between a quote and an estimate for plumbing work?

A quote locks in the price so the plumber cannot charge more without your prior approval, while an estimate is a rough guide that can change as the job unfolds. Reviews here show real consequences when this distinction is ignored: in one case a customer faced a bill close to double the original figure with no itemisation provided, and in another a $1,200 invoicing error was only caught because the customer asked for a breakdown. Always ask for a written quote before work starts, and if a plumber discovers additional problems mid-job, require their written or verbal approval process before any extra work proceeds.

What are the warning signs of a plumber you shouldn't hire?
  • –Sending an invoice for an incomplete job and escalating to a debt collector before the work is finished, rather than returning to resolve the issue.
  • –Charging close to double the original figure with no itemisation and refusing to provide a cost breakdown when asked.
  • –Failing to diagnose the root cause of a problem, applying a surface fix, and billing in full when the fault reappears shortly after.
  • –Promising to attend for a quote multiple times over a week and not showing up, with distance from town offered as the reason.
  • –Billing for a call-out months after the job without following up on outstanding work, then claiming the customer failed to make contact.
  • –Sending out junior staff who lack the knowledge to complete a job correctly, resulting in multiple return visits before the work is done right.

What 2,420 NZ plumber reviews complain about most

What should you ask before hiring a plumber?
  • –Ask whether they will provide a written fixed quote rather than a verbal estimate, and confirm what triggers any variation to that price.
  • –Ask for their Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) registration number and check it on pgdb.co.nz before work begins.
  • –Ask what their call-out fee is and whether it is charged separately from the hourly labour rate, including any after-hours or weekend rate.
  • –Ask how they handle unexpected problems found during a job, specifically whether they will stop and get your approval before doing additional work.
  • –Ask whether they guarantee their work and what their process is if the same fault reappears after completion.

Also recommended plumbers in Palmerston North

Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.

  • 6

    Stop leak plumbing & Drain cleaning jetters

    ★ 4.9 101 reviews Top5 Score 158
    5★ 98 4★ 1 1★ 2

    Stop Leak Plumbing covers burst pipe repairs, running toilet fixes, blocked drains, tap replacements, and full pipe replacements like dux quest, with Corey regularly arriving the same day and often within the hour of being called. He asks for photos before arriving so he can come prepared, and he runs through findings and pricing options on site before starting work.

    4 Gratitude Way, Kelvin Grove, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?
  • 7

    Fast Flow Plumbing

    ★ 4.9 90 reviews Top5 Score 156
    5★ 86 4★ 2 1★ 2

    Fast Flow Plumbing fixes gas leaks, installs showers, sinks and taps, and connects stormwater drainage, with plumbers like Matt, Dom, and Bud regularly completing work the same day they are called. When complications arise mid-job, such as a pressure issue after a shower install, their plumbers return and resolve it without pulling the work apart.

    42A Titoki Street, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?
  • 8

    Foleys | Palmerston North

    ★ 4.6 139 reviews Top5 Score 150
    5★ 114 4★ 12 3★ 2 1★ 11

    Foleys gets plumbers on site fast for urgent work like burst pipes, water leaks, pressure valve replacements, and tap and toilet installs, often arriving within an hour of being called. Plumbers like Glen and Isaac turn up on time, work through problems including awkward repairs at height or weekend emergencies, and take time to explain what they are doing along the way.

    144 Fairs Road, Milson, Palmerston North

    Map Is this your business?
  • 9

    Pipe Masters Manawatu

    ★ 5.0 42 reviews Top5 Score 148
    5★ 42

    Pipe Masters takes on hot water cylinder installs, new pipeline work, bathroom renovations, leak detection, and full plumbing and drainage on new builds and subdivisions. Named plumbers like Liam, Nate, Josh, Adam, and Grayce clean up after themselves, explain the work clearly, and accommodate short-notice callouts without fuss.

    Map Is this your business?
  • 10

    Empire Plumbing Limited

    ★ 5.0 40 reviews Top5 Score 147
    5★ 39 4★ 1

    Empire Plumbing resolves urgent leaks, blocked drains, septic issues, hot water pipe rerouting, and bathroom upgrades, with plumbers like Hollie, George, and Ryan attending quickly and explaining findings clearly on site. Their plumbers follow up after the job with texts or calls to confirm everything is sorted.

    268 Reid Line East, Aorangi, Feilding 4775 RD 5 Aorangi, 268 Reid Line East, Aorangi

    Map Is this your business?

About this ranking

What the 10 plumbers listed above hold, at the 3 September 2026 check.

410
reviews held by the #1 ranked business
140
reviews held by the #5 ranked business
40
reviews held by the #10 ranked business
4.6
lowest rating among the 10 listed
2.2%
of their 1,372 reviews are one-star

Across the 14 locations we assess plumbers in, the 140 businesses listed have a median rating of 4.9, and one-star reviews are 2.6% of their total.

How are the top plumbers in Palmerston North chosen?

We build this page from Google Maps results for plumbers in Palmerston North. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.

What does a business subscription offer?

No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.

Why isn't my business listed?

We build this page from Google Maps results for plumbers in Palmerston North. The usual reasons for missing out 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. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.

Related services in Palmerston North

Plumbers in other cities

Plumbers in New Zealand (all 14 locations)

More home improvement rankings in Palmerston North