Napier and Hastings’ noisiest streets: Music the biggest cause for complaint by far

If you are having a party be considerate of your neighbours to avoid noise complaints. Photo / 123rf

The sound of cicadas signals summer. For one Hastings resident, the cicadas’ noise was not to their liking so they called noise control. The bemused enforcement officer couldn’t help.

But noise complaints can be legitimate, and they can be a significant issue in residential Hawke’s Bay. So Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) decided to ask where legitimate noise complaints (not cicadas) were occurring the most in the twin cities of Napier and Hastings.

The top five noisiest streets in Hastings in 2024, to November 1, were:

1. Albert St, Parkvale

2. Dover Rd, Flaxmere

3. Grove Rd, Mayfair

4. Kauri St, Mahora

5. Kowhai St, Mahora

For the same period in Napier, the top five noisest were:

1. Taradale Rd, Pirimai

2. Lanark Crescent, Tamatea

3. Hitchings Ave, Onekawa

4. Russell Rd, Marewa

5= Shakespeare Rd, Bluff Hill and Wynyard Cres, Tamatea

But considering they’re from the noisiest streets, the people who live on these streets went deathly quiet — or in other words the sounds of cicadas were in the air — when approached by this reporter.

Requests for explanations from homeowners were inevitably met with a reply of “no comment” or a request to keep their name out of it, and more than one requested we not run the story out of fear their house values would drop.

One NZME employee who lives on Flaxmere’s Dover Rd noted the list was a bit of a head-scratcher as it was the quietest street he’d ever lived on — leaving him to ponder if he could be the cause of it.

LDR managed to find one person who would talk about how noisy their street was, before finding out they didn’t actually live on the third-ranked Grove Rd in Hastings, and instead on neighbouring Cunningham Cres — which doesn’t feature in the noisy streets list.

“I use Grove Rd a lot but haven’t noticed any noise. But in my street there are always parties, fights and motorbikes roaring up and down the street.”

They then asked, unsurprisingly, to remain anonymous.

A Napier City Council (NCC) spokesperson said when it receives a complaint about excessive noise, an enforcement officer can investigate and assess the noise.

“To assess if noise is excessive the officer considers volume, the time of day and the type of noise.”

They don’t use measuring equipment, making their own decision on the outcome.

“If the officer finds that the noise is too loud, they issue an Excessive Noise Direction [END], which lasts for up to 72 hours.

“If there are more noise complaints during that time, the officer will visit the site again to determine if the noise is still excessive.

“If it is, the offending equipment is seized sometimes with the help of police. There can also be an infringement or fine if equipment is seized or the END notice is breached.”

Music is by far the most common cause of noise complaints across the twin cities.

A Hastings District Council spokesperson said most people were co-operative when asked to turn it down.

“However, if someone is unco-operative, there is no need to be confrontational [in response] as police are required for any action in relation to seizing a stereo for not complying with a notice,” they said.

“A warning letter is initially sent. If complaints keep occurring, an abatement notice can be issued. Failure to comply with an abatement notice can result in a fine.”

Both councils said letting your neighbours know when you were planning a party was a good idea.

Napier’s council also suggests asking neighbours to phone you if the noise was getting too loud.

“You can also consider the time of your event — neighbours will be more tolerant during reasonable hours.

“Keep windows and doors closed, reduce the bass level of the music and keep guests inside,” the NCC spokesperson said.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.