Cost guide · New Zealand · 2026
What a kitchen renovation actually costs in NZ
A typical New Zealand kitchen renovation costs about $35,000, with most jobs between $25,000–$45,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). Budget work runs $15,000–$25,000 and premium jobs $45,000–$90,000. In Auckland the average is about $2,300 per square metre.
Updated
What do the three cost tiers actually buy?
Budget is $15,000–$25,000, mid-range $25,000–$45,000 and premium $45,000–$90,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). Every New Zealand cost source uses roughly those same three bands, and what they rarely tell you is what sits inside each one, so here they are with the scope attached.
| Tier | Range | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $15,000–$25,000 | Keep the footprint and most services. New doors, benchtop and splashback, or an entry-level flat-pack replacement. |
| Mid-range | $25,000–$45,000 | New cabinetry throughout, a stone or quality laminate benchtop, new appliances, services renewed in the same positions. |
| Premium | $45,000–$90,000 | Layout changes, joinery to a bespoke design, premium appliances and finishes, and often a scullery. |
CheckMyBuilder, July 2026. That source does not state whether its figures include GST, so neither do we.
Superior Renovations publishes Auckland-specific bands that do state a GST basis, and they are worth putting alongside because the premium end is markedly higher:
| Level | Range |
|---|---|
| Basic | $15,000–$25,000 |
| Mid-range | $26,000–$35,000 |
| Luxury | $90,000–$138,000 |
Both sources are linked below. Where they disagree, we show both rather than picking the flattering one.
How much is a kitchen renovation per square metre?
The Auckland average is about $2,300 per m² (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026), and by specification level Auckland rates run $1,533–4,167 per m², excluding GST (Superior Renovations, 2026). Rates outside Auckland are not published anywhere we can cite. Small kitchen costs by size works these rates out for 5, 7 and 9 m² kitchens. The bands break down as:
- Budget: $1,533–2,000 per m², + GST (Superior Renovations, 2026).
- Mid-range: $2,000–3,000 per m², + GST (Superior Renovations, 2026).
- Premium: $3,000–4,167 per m², + GST (Superior Renovations, 2026).
What does a kitchen renovation cost in your region?
The typical job is $40,000 in Auckland, $37,000 in Wellington, $34,000 in Christchurch and $32,000 across the rest of New Zealand (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026), against a national typical of $35,000. That is a spread of about 25% from top to bottom, and it tracks labour and trade availability rather than materials.
| Region | Typical | Against the national $35,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | $40,000 | ×1.14 |
| Wellington | $37,000 | ×1.06 |
| Christchurch | $34,000 | ×0.97 |
| Rest of New Zealand | $32,000 | ×0.91 |
What makes one kitchen cost twice another?
In order: whether the layout moves, the benchtop material, the appliances, and the amount of cabinetry. Moving the plumbing or gas adds $3,000–$8,000, stone instead of laminate $2,000–$6,000, removing a structural wall $5,000–$15,000 and new appliances $3,000–$20,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026).
| Change | Adds | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Move the plumbing or gas | +$3,000–$8,000 | A licensed plumber does this work; a gasfitter for gas. |
| Engineered or natural stone instead of laminate | +$2,000–$6,000 | |
| Remove a structural wall | +$5,000–$15,000 | This is restricted building work: it needs an LBP and usually a building consent. |
| New appliances | +$3,000–$20,000 |
Fitting the appliances is a cost of its own. A rangehood, for example, is from about $450 + GST to swap into an existing duct and about double that when the duct has to go through a brick wall (Phasetech Electrical, 2026): rangehood installation cost. A dishwasher swapped into an existing tap, waste and socket is about $175–285 + GST, and a first install with new plumbing and power $285–600+ + GST (Ka Pai Plumbing): dishwasher installation cost.
Benchtops deserve their own line, because they are the biggest single material decision: laminate $383–613 per m², engineered stone $613–1,533 per m² and granite $767–1,533 per m², all + GST (Superior Renovations, 2026). The benchtop guide goes into what moves the price inside a material, and what kitchen cabinets cost covers the largest line (or, if the boxes are sound, replacement cabinet doors at about $60–200 each), with splashback costs per m² alongside. If a retailer range is on the list, see Mitre 10, Bunnings, IKEA and Mastercraft compared.
Where does a $35,000 kitchen actually go?
Cabinetry and joinery take 36% of a typical $35,000 New Zealand kitchen, the benchtop and splashback 14% and the appliances another 14%, with the licensed trades, flooring, design and contingency sharing the rest. That is our working allocation, not a published study, and the percentages move with your specification.
Nobody else publishes this, and the point of it is to give you something to hold a quote against, with who does each part named.
| Line | Share | Amount | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinetry and joinery | 36% | $12,600 | Partner joinery workshop |
| Benchtop and splashback | 14% | $4,900 | Stone fabricator or joiner |
| Appliances | 14% | $4,900 | Supplier, installed by the relevant trade |
| Plumbing | 7% | $2,500 | Licensed plumber |
| Electrical | 7% | $2,500 | Registered electrician |
| Flooring, GIB, painting | 10% | $3,500 | Subcontracted trades |
| Design, project management and site costs | 6% | $2,100 | Us |
| Contingency | 6% | $2,100 | Held back for what the walls hide |
Our working allocation, not a published study. We say so because a percentage split presented as research would be a made-up statistic.
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
The money is spent in three stages. Design and final measure take 1–3 weeks, cabinetry manufacture 4–6 weeks (Superior Renovations, 2026) and the on-site work 3–8 weeks (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). You lose the use of the kitchen for the on-site stage only, not for the whole programme.
| Stage | Weeks | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Design and final measure | 1–3 | From your consult to a signed scope. |
| Cabinetry manufacture | 4–6 | The workshop builds your cabinets. |
| On site | 3–8 | Strip-out, services, install, benchtop template and fit, finishing. |
Manufacture from Superior Renovations (2026); on-site duration from CheckMyBuilder (July 2026).
Which tier is your job?
Match the scope, not the aspiration:
- Refresh: New doors, drawer fronts, handles, benchtop and splashback on the cabinet carcasses you already have.
- Replace: New cabinetry throughout, new benchtop and splashback, new appliances, services renewed where they already are.
- Remodel: A new layout: services moved, an island added, sometimes a wall opened up. Consent and licensed structural work.
What do these figures not tell you?
Honest gaps, so you know what this page is not telling you: per-square-metre rates outside Auckland are not published anywhere we can cite, so the regional figures here are derived from the regional typicals rather than measured; CheckMyBuilder does not state its GST basis; and the current New Zealand position on engineered-stone silica rules is something we have not yet confirmed from a primary source, so it is not used here as an argument either way.
Cost questions
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in NZ?
About $35,000 is the typical figure, with most jobs between $25,000 and $45,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). Budget work runs $15,000–25,000 and premium jobs $45,000–90,000.
How much per square metre?
The Auckland average is about $2,300 per m² (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). By specification, Auckland rates run $1,533–2,000 per m² basic, $2,000–3,000 mid and $3,000–4,167+ premium, excluding GST (Superior Renovations, 2026).
Is Auckland more expensive?
Yes, and modestly so. The typical job is $40,000 in Auckland, $37,000 in Wellington, $34,000 in Christchurch and $32,000 elsewhere (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026): a spread of about 25% top to bottom.
What makes one kitchen cost twice another?
In order: whether the layout moves, the benchtop material, the appliances, and the amount of cabinetry. Moving plumbing adds $3,000–8,000, stone over laminate $2,000–6,000, appliances $3,000–20,000 and removing a structural wall $5,000–15,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026).
Is $10,000 enough for a new kitchen?
Not for new cabinetry, which starts in the $15,000–25,000 budget band (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). It is a realistic budget for a facelift on sound cabinets: sprayed or new doors, a laminate benchtop, a tiled splashback, a new tap and lighting. What a facelift costs.
Do these figures include GST?
It depends on the source, and we do not paper over that. Superior Renovations' figures are stated excluding GST. CheckMyBuilder does not state a basis, so we label those as GST status not stated rather than assuming.
How much should I hold back for surprises?
10–15% as a contingency. What is behind the old cabinets is the single most common reason a kitchen budget moves, and a written scope should say what happens to unspent contingency.
Sources
- CheckMyBuilder, kitchen renovation cost (updated July 2026)
- Superior Renovations, kitchen renovation cost Auckland (2026)
Checked 15 September 2026. We re-check every published figure quarterly.
Ranges are useful. Your number is better.
$595 for a measured plan and a line-item budget for your actual room, credited in full to your build.