Undertaking DIY electrical work in your home can save money, but not knowing what you're doing can cost someone their life.
The law does allow homeowners to do certain electrical work if they comply with set standards. But, unless you know what you're doing, we advise using a licensed electrician.
Installing your own wiring or fixing appliances is not as simple as it may seem, and puts you at risk of electric shock or causing a fire.
If you sell the house or appliance at a later date, you may be liable under law for any consequence of your workmanship.
We recommend that for all wiring and appliance repair work, you use an electrician who is a member of the New Zealand Electrical Contractors' Association (ECANZ). Visit their website for a list of contractors in your area.
If you do decide to undertake the work yourself, make sure you comply with the following national standards.
Repair of Domestic Electrical Equipment
Electrical Wiring Work in Domestic Premises.
You should also comply with the following safety precautions:
- make sure the power is turned off
- carry out proper safety tests
- do not work on mains or main switchboards - a licensed electrician must do this.
- do not connect the wiring yourself - this must be done by an electrical inspector
Building a new house?
If you're building a new house, you'll need to get an electrician to install the wiring from the street and to the main switchboard. You can do the rest of the wiring in the house but you cannot connect it to the main switchboard. You will need to get an inspector to check your wiring and then to connect and liven it. As we do not keep records of customer underground mains cables, or those to outbuildings, make sure that you get your electrician to provide you with a record of all buried cables.
Recommended electricians
We recommend that you use an electrician who is a member of the New Zealand Electrical Contractors' Association (ECANZ) which operates the Master Electrician scheme. For a list of contractors in your area visit their website.
A Master Electrician is a member of the Electrical Contractors Association of New Zealand and has met the high safety standard and commercial criteria set by the association. Using a Master Electrician means electrical work carried out by them is covered by the Master Electrician's guarantee.
Getting your premises connected to our network
If you're building new premises, either you or your electrician will need to apply to connect your new building to our network. Visit the network applications page for details on how you go about making the application