Auckland · Kitchens
A kitchen’s price is decided by four questions, and none of them is its size.
Whether the plumbing moves. Whether the electrical moves. Whether a wall moves. And what you have allowed for cabinetry, benchtop and appliances. Answer those four and a kitchen quote becomes predictable. Leave any of them open and two builders will hand you numbers that differ by a factor of two, both of them honest.
$12,418 – $17,937
Modelled trade labour for replacing a kitchen in its existing footprint — 208 hours at published median pay rates, with a 1.8×–2.6× charge-out multiplier. Cabinetry, benchtop, appliances and fittings are not in this figure. Not a quote.
Modelled on this site from Tahatū Career Navigator pay bands — labour only, not a quote · July 2026
Photography commissioned — plate reserved · July 2026
The method
Two identical kitchens, one of which moves the services.
Both models below fit the same cabinetry and the same appliances. The only difference is whether the sink and hob stay where they are and whether a wall comes out. Pay rates are published and sourced; the hours are this site’s judgement and are printed so you can substitute your own.
| Trade | Median hourly pay | Assumed hours (judgement) | Wage cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet maker | $33.65 | 80 | $2,692 |
| Carpenter | $31.25 | 46 | $1,438 |
| Electrician | $41.35 | 18 | $744 |
| Plumber | $35.10 | 12 | $421 |
| Wall and floor tiler | $32.21 | 16 | $515 |
| Plasterer | $30.77 | 16 | $492 |
| Painter and decorator | $29.81 | 20 | $596 |
Pay rates are the published median for each trade. The hours are this site’s judgement for the scope described above, not a measured figure — change the hours and the answer changes, which is exactly why no one can quote a renovation from a floor area.
Tertiary Education Commission — Tahatū Career Navigator · retrieved 2026-07-30
| Trade | Median hourly pay | Assumed hours (judgement) | Wage cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet maker | $33.65 | 80 | $2,692 |
| Carpenter | $31.25 | 96 | $3,000 |
| Electrician | $41.35 | 34 | $1,406 |
| Plumber | $35.10 | 30 | $1,053 |
| Drainlayer | $37.98 | 10 | $380 |
| Wall and floor tiler | $32.21 | 16 | $515 |
| Plasterer | $30.77 | 30 | $923 |
| Painter and decorator | $29.81 | 28 | $835 |
| Construction manager | $59.13 | 16 | $946 |
Pay rates are the published median for each trade. The hours are this site’s judgement for the scope described above, not a measured figure — change the hours and the answer changes, which is exactly why no one can quote a renovation from a floor area.
Tertiary Education Commission — Tahatū Career Navigator · retrieved 2026-07-30
Modelled on this site from Tahatū Career Navigator pay bands — labour only, not a quote · July 2026
Modelled on this site from Tahatū Career Navigator pay bands — labour only, not a quote · July 2026
The difference between those two bands is the whole argument of this page. Nothing about the kitchen you can see has changed. What changed is how many trades have to come back, in what order, and how much making good follows them.
Materials sit on top of both. Cabinetry is the largest single materials line in most kitchens, and the cabinet maker’s published median pay is $33.65 an hour against a band of $24.04 to $49.04 — with 154 live Auckland job listings in the source data, which is the clearest signal available that the trade is stretched. All 13 trades are here.
The four drivers
What actually moves a kitchen number.
| Driver | Why it moves the number | Consent implication |
|---|---|---|
| Sanitary plumbing or drainage relocates | Plumber plus, often, a drainlayer; floor lifted and reinstated; making good behind. Two extra trades and two extra visits. | Relocating sanitary plumbing generally needs building consent. Check the threshold. |
| A wall moves | If it is load-bearing or bracing, an engineer, a beam, temporary propping and a Licensed Building Practitioner. This is the single largest step change available in a kitchen. | Building consent, and restricted building work under the Building Act 2004. |
| Cabinetry specification | Carcase material, door construction, drawer hardware and whether anything is made to fit rather than sized to a module. Usually the largest materials line. | None on its own. |
| Benchtop material | Laminate, timber, engineered stone and sintered stone differ in cost and in sequence — stone is templated after installation, which inserts a gap in the programme. | None on its own. |
| Appliance allowance | The most common reason two quotes diverge, and the easiest to control: set it as a dollar figure and give the same figure to everyone. | None. Gas and electrical connection must be certified. |
| Extraction to outside air | A new penetration through the cladding is work on the external moisture-management system, and flashing it correctly matters more than the fan does. | May be restricted building work; ask before anyone cuts. |
Ranking is this site’s judgement from the trades and sequence each driver pulls in. The consent column describes the published rules, not a determination about your property.
This site — cost-driver analysis · July 2026
Photography commissioned — plate reserved · July 2026
What to do
Get comparable kitchen quotes in five moves.
- 01
Decide the services question first
Sink, hob and dishwasher: staying or moving. This one answer changes the trade list, the programme and the consent question.
- 02
Write the allowances as dollars
Appliances, tapware, benchtop, splashback, flooring. The same numbers to every builder.
- 03
Specify the carcase, not just the look
Carcase material, door construction, hardware brand. "White kitchen" is not a specification.
- 04
Ask what is excluded
Making good, painting, floor covering, appliance installation, waste disposal, temporary kitchen. These are the usual gaps.
- 05
Confirm the consent position in writing
If a wall or the services move, get the consent and restricted building work position on paper before work starts, from Auckland Council rather than from an opinion.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need consent to replace a kitchen?
Replacing cabinetry, a benchtop and appliances in the same footprint, with the plumbing and electrical staying where they are, is generally maintenance and does not need a building consent. Three things change that: relocating sanitary plumbing or drainage, altering a load-bearing or bracing wall, and any change to the external envelope such as a new window or an extraction penetration. The consent thresholds are here, and only Auckland Council can confirm what applies to your address.
Why is one kitchen quote double the other?
Usually the appliance and fittings allowances, then the cabinetry construction. A carcase in melamine with thermoformed doors and a laminate top is a different product from a plywood carcase with two-pack doors and engineered stone, and both are legitimately "a new kitchen". Ask for the allowance figures as dollars, ask what the carcase and door materials are, and ask whether the number includes the electrician and plumber or assumes you engage them. Then the comparison means something.
How much does moving the sink add?
More than most people expect, because it is rarely one trade. It pulls in the plumber for supply and waste, often a drainlayer if the waste has to reach an existing gully or a new connection, the carpenter to lift and reinstate flooring, and the plasterer and painter to make good. In the model above, moving services and opening a wall lifts modelled labour from $12,418–$17,937 to $21,150–$30,550 before any materials. It can also trip the consent threshold.
Is a stone benchtop worth it?
On resale, no one can tell you honestly — no New Zealand dataset links a benchtop material to a sale price. On use, the material choice changes the fabrication and installation sequence more than the cabinetry does: engineered stone and sintered stone are template-and-fabricate items measured after the cabinets are in, which puts a one to two week gap in the middle of your kitchen. If the programme matters more than the surface, that is the real trade-off. Note that engineered stone containing crystalline silica is now tightly controlled in New Zealand workplaces, which affects who can fabricate it and how.
How long should a kitchen take?
The model above assumes 208 labour hours in the existing footprint. Spread across trades that arrive in sequence rather than together, that is typically three to five weeks on site, plus four to eight weeks of cabinetry lead time before anyone starts. The lead time, not the build, is what usually sets your date. That timing is judgement, not published data.
Does a kitchen need a Licensed Building Practitioner?
Fitting cabinetry does not. But if the work touches the primary structure — removing or altering a load-bearing or bracing wall, cutting a new opening — or touches the external moisture-management system, that part is restricted building work under the Building Act 2004 and must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. Electrical and gas work must be done by the relevant registered tradesperson and certified, regardless of consent.
Consent and zoning information on this page describes the published rules and the Auckland Unitary Plan zoning map. It is not a determination about your property, and only Auckland Council can confirm what applies to your address. Much of the work described here is restricted building work under the Building Act 2004, which must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. This site does not yet name the trade partner who would do the work, and until it does it claims no licence, guarantee or membership.
One route from here
Send the four answers and you will get a useful reply.
Services staying or moving, wall staying or moving, your allowances, and your date. That is enough to say something honest about whether the budget and the kitchen match.