Written by the BuildHub research team · Last updated 17 July 2026 · Advertising disclosure
Wellington does not do flat. Most concrete jobs here involve a slope, a tight access way or a truck that cannot get within thirty metres of the pour, and that is exactly what separates a good local contractor from a cheap one. This guide shortlists Wellington concrete crews worth calling, then covers realistic 2026 pricing, the consent rules for slabs and foundations, and how to compare quotes when your section is on a hill.
The best concrete contractor in Wellington is Concrete Wellington, a local crew covering driveways, patios, foundations, repairs and polished concrete from Wellington Central out to the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast, with finishes from plain and exposed aggregate through stamped, coloured and permeable concrete, and a guarantee on the quality of their work. For a small owner-operated alternative in the Hutt Valley, TQ Concrete Placers has a long public rating history, and Porirua Hardscapes suits jobs that combine concrete with excavation.
Summary
A plain concrete driveway in Wellington runs roughly $130 to $190 per square metre installed in 2026, with exposed aggregate at $160 to $240 and a concrete pump adding $800 to $1,500 to steep or tight-access pours. All figures indicative.
Driveways and paths on your own land generally need no building consent, but new house foundations do, and foundation work on a home is restricted building work that must be done or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner.
We shortlisted Wellington operators on trade focus, verifiable experience, area coverage and the practical signals that matter on hill sites: pump access, ground preparation and written quotes.
The shortlist
Our research covered the Wellington concrete market from established firms down to one-crew outfits in the Hutt Valley and Porirua. We weighed trade focus, the finishes each crew genuinely offers, coverage across the region's hills, and what customers report publicly. Some businesses featured on BuildHub may have a commercial relationship with us. See the disclosure at the bottom of this page, and always get at least two quotes.
One Wellington-specific tip before the shortlist: ask every contractor how the concrete gets from the truck to your pour. On a Karori or Island Bay hill section the honest answer is often a pump, and a quote that ignores that question is a quote that will grow later.
Editor's Choice 2026
#1
Concrete Wellington
Concrete Wellington covers the residential jobs that make up most of the city's concrete work: driveways, patios, foundations, repairs and polished concrete, with driveway finishes running from plain and exposed aggregate to stamped, coloured and permeable options. Coverage is genuinely regional, from Wellington Central and the southern and western suburbs out to Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast, so one quote covers you whether you are in Miramar or Waikanae.
Areas served: Wellington Central, Johnsonville, Tawa, Karori, Miramar, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Wainuiomata, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast
TQ Concrete Placers is a locally owned and operated crew based in Silverstream in Upper Hutt, covering driveways, paving, kerbing, asphalt and house or garage slabs. Small placing crews like this live or die on word of mouth, and TQ has built a public rating history of more than a hundred customer reviews, which is rare transparency for a one-crew outfit.
Areas served: Upper Hutt, the Hutt Valley and wider Wellington
Focus: Driveways, paving, kerbing, asphalt, house and garage slabs
Reviews: More than 100 public customer reviews
Key facts and services
Locally owned and operated from Silverstream
Handles both concrete and asphalt, useful for driveway jobs that mix the two
Public rating history of more than 100 customer reviews
#3
Porirua Hardscapes
Porirua Hardscapes is a locally owned and operated team specialising in concrete structures and driveways alongside excavation and landscaping, with over 36 years of industry experience behind it. That combination matters in Wellington: when a driveway needs cutting into a slope or a retaining wall poured at the same time, one operator handling the digger work and the concrete saves a whole coordination headache.
Areas served: Porirua, Wellington City, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt
Focus: Concrete structures, driveways, excavation and landscaping
Website: poriruahardscapes.co.nz
Key facts and services
Locally owned and operated, with over 36 years of industry experience
Combines excavation and concrete in one crew, a real advantage on sloped sections
Builds for Wellington's climate and terrain rather than importing flat-land assumptions
#4
Moores Valley Landscaping
Moores Valley Landscaping is a Wainuiomata-based team with more than ten years of hands-on experience across Lower Hutt, the Hutt Valley and the wider Wellington region, laying concrete driveways as part of a broader landscaping trade. If your driveway job comes bundled with lawns, planting or drainage, a landscaper who pours concrete properly can be the tidier single hire.
Areas served: Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, the Hutt Valley and wider Wellington
Focus: Concrete driveways within a full landscaping service
Website: mooresvalleylandscaping.co.nz
Key facts and services
Based in Wainuiomata with more than 10 years of hands-on experience
Driveways delivered as part of a wider landscaping offer
A good fit when concrete is one line in a bigger outdoor project
#5
A&B Concrete
A&B Concrete is a small Wellington crew with over 14 years of experience in concrete and construction, working commercial and residential jobs across Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. It runs on a modest Facebook following rather than a marketing budget, which is usually a good sign: crews this size stay booked on referrals, and for a driveway, path or patio the quote tends to reflect that.
Areas served: Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua
Focus: Residential and commercial concrete work
Base: Wellington
Key facts and services
Over 14 years of experience in concrete and construction
Handles both commercial and residential projects
Covers Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua
What does concrete work cost in Wellington?
Concrete is priced per square metre, installed, and in Wellington the site drives the price as much as the finish. Realistic indicative ranges for 2026:
Job type
Indicative installed cost
Plain concrete path or patio
$120 to $180 per m2
Plain concrete driveway
$130 to $190 per m2
Coloured concrete
$150 to $220 per m2
Exposed aggregate
$160 to $240 per m2
Garage or shed slab
$150 to $250 per m2
Concrete pump for tight or steep access
$800 to $1,500 per pour
A typical 40 to 50 square metre single driveway lands between $6,000 and $12,000 installed. What pushes a Wellington quote up: excavation into a slope, retaining, breaking out and dumping old concrete, long barrow or pump runs where the truck cannot park near the pour, and drainage on sections that shed water onto the neighbour below.
Hill site tipAsk early whether your job needs a concrete pump. On steep streets in suburbs like Karori, Brooklyn and Island Bay the truck often cannot reach the pour, and a pump is the difference between a clean job and a crew barrowing wet concrete uphill. A good contractor prices this upfront rather than springing it on you as a variation.
Wellington sections rarely match a national price guide, so sanity check your own area and finish with our concrete cost calculator before you start ringing around.
Consent, foundations and the LBP rule
Driveways and paths: concrete on your own land generally needs no building consent, falling under the exemptions for low-risk work in Schedule 1 of the Building Act. Work at the road edge is different: a new or altered vehicle crossing over the footpath needs approval from Wellington City Council.
Foundations and structural slabs: a slab that a building sits on is a different animal. New house foundations need building consent, and foundation work on a home is restricted building work that must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner holding the right licence class.
Slopes and retaining: if your concrete job needs a retaining wall, the wall may need consent depending on height and what it holds up. Mention any retaining in every quote request so it is priced and consented properly.
Stormwater: new hard surfaces change where rain goes. On Wellington's hills that matters, so check drainage is in the quote, not assumed.
How to compare concrete quotes
Same spec, every quote. Slab thickness (100mm is standard residential, more for heavy vehicles), mesh type, and concrete strength. Two grey driveways can hide a big quality gap.
Preparation itemised. Excavation depth, base course and compaction are where cheap quotes cut. With concrete, preparation is most of the product.
Access and pumping priced upfront. Get the pump, or the barrow time, in writing before the pour is booked.
Old concrete removal included? Breaking out and dumping the existing driveway is real money. Confirm it is in the price.
Cuts and joints specified. Control joints are what stop random cracking. Ask where they will go and when they will be cut.
Weather plan. Wellington rain and wind can wreck a finish. Ask what happens if the forecast turns on pour day.
Most Wellington slabs live or die on what happens underneath them. If your site holds water or sits on a slope, sort the ground first: our Wellington drainage contractors guide covers the crews who do that part properly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Wellington?
As of 2026, a plain concrete driveway in Wellington runs roughly $130 to $190 per square metre installed, with exposed aggregate at $160 to $240 and coloured concrete at $150 to $220. A typical 40 to 50 square metre single driveway lands between $6,000 and $12,000. Steep access, excavation, retaining and old driveway removal push the total up. These figures are indicative: get itemised written quotes from at least two contractors.
Do I need building consent for concrete work in Wellington?
Driveways, paths and patios on your own land generally need no building consent under the Schedule 1 exemptions for low-risk work in the Building Act 2004. Foundations and slabs that buildings sit on do need consent, and a new or altered vehicle crossing where your driveway meets the street needs approval from Wellington City Council. If a retaining wall is part of the job, its consent status depends on height and load, so raise it early.
Does concrete work need a Licensed Building Practitioner?
It depends on the job. Laying a driveway, path or patio does not require an LBP. Foundation work on a home is restricted building work under the Building Act, which must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner holding the foundations licence class. You can check any practitioner on the public register at lbp.govt.nz before hiring.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
For cars, 100mm of concrete over a properly compacted base course is the standard residential spec in New Zealand, usually with reinforcing mesh. If trucks, boats on trailers or heavy vehicles will use the driveway, 125mm to 150mm with upgraded reinforcing is the safer spec. Thickness is one of the easiest places for a cheap quote to shave cost invisibly, so get it in writing.
How long before I can drive on new concrete?
Keep cars off a new driveway for at least seven days. Concrete reaches most of its design strength at 28 days, but a week of curing is the usual minimum before light vehicle traffic. Foot traffic is generally fine after 24 to 48 hours. In cold Wellington winters curing slows down, so a good contractor may ask you to wait longer, and it is worth listening.
Can concrete be poured in winter in Wellington?
Yes, but the window matters. Concrete should not be poured onto frozen ground or when heavy rain is forecast before the finish sets, and cold temperatures slow curing. Wellington's bigger enemy is wind, which dries the surface too fast and can craze the finish. Experienced local crews plan pours around the forecast and will reschedule rather than gamble a slab, which is a good sign, not a delay tactic.
Ready to get quotes?
Start with our top pick, Concrete Wellington, then get at least one more quote to compare.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not professional advice. Pricing figures are indicative and vary by project. Rely on written quotes. Some businesses featured on BuildHub may have a commercial relationship with us; this does not change the factual information we publish about any business, and we encourage readers to get at least two quotes. Verify business details directly with each company before engaging them.