Needed (https://needed.co.nz), a New Zealand service request platform, has completed a full repositioning away from freelance job matching toward a dedicated local services model, connecting homeowners, property managers and renters with tradespeople and service professionals through a request-first system that reverses the traditional customer-to-tradesperson search dynamic.
The platform now operates across ten local home service categories: plumbing, electrical, locksmithing, handyman, house cleaning, carpet cleaning, painting, lawn mowing, rubbish removal, and moving, and is available available across 5,864 locations nationwide.
HOW THE PLATFORM WORKS
Needed uses a request-first model that inverts the standard directory approach. Rather than browsing service listings and reaching out individually, customers describe the job once, submit a single request, and receive direct contact from up to three available professionals in their area. The full process takes under 60 seconds.
Professionals pay a small credit fee to make contact with a customer. There is no commission taken on completed jobs, no ongoing subscription, and no charge unless a pro actively contacts a customer.
REPOSITIONING AWAY FROM FREELANCE JOBS
Earlier iterations of the platform operated closer to general task and job matching, which created a residual association with freelance and remote work in search results and public perception. The company has undertaken a deliberate repositioning to clarify the distinction.
“Freelance platforms solve a knowledge-work problem, connecting talent with remote projects across distance,” the company founder, Gideon Banks said. “Needed solves a different problem entirely: getting an available tradesperson to your property, in your suburb, today. Those are fundamentally different markets and we want New Zealanders to understand what we actually are.”
SERVICES AND COVERAGE
Needed currently operates across ten service categories:
- Plumbing – leaks, hot water cylinders, blocked drains, bathroom fit-outs
- Electrical – switchboards, power points, lighting, heat pump wiring
- Locksmithing – lockouts, lock replacements, rekeying, security upgrades
- Handyman – odd jobs, small repairs, minor carpentry
- House cleaning – regular cleans, one-off cleans, end of tenancy
- Carpet cleaning – residential carpet and upholstery cleaning
- Painting – interior and exterior, full rooms or touch-ups
- Lawn mowing – mowing, edging, section tidying
- Rubbish removal – general rubbish, furniture, appliances, cleanouts
- Moving – house moves, small moves, furniture relocation
All services are available across New Zealand’s main centres, with expanding coverage in regional towns and rural areas.
WHY REQUEST-FIRST, NOT DIRECTORY
The request model is designed around the primary constraint of local services: availability. For most trade and home service jobs, the most important variable is not who has the best profile or the most reviews — it is who can actually show up.
A locksmith who is available now is more valuable than the highest-rated locksmith who is booked for the rest of the week. Needed is built on that premise. The comparison happens after customers have already heard from people who want the work, not before they have managed to reach anyone.
ABOUT NEEDED
Needed (https://needed.co.nz) is a New Zealand platform connecting homeowners and renters with local service professionals. Through a request-first model, customers describe the job once, submit a single request, and receive contact from up to three available pros in their area. Free for customers. Available across New Zealand.
Media Release on 16 March 2026
Media Contact
Gideon Banks, Needed
support@needed.co.nz
https://needed.co.nz/