How narrow the rules are
The EWRB (Electrical Workers Registration Board) says the law permits homeowners to do a very limited amount of maintenance and installation work, subject to strict safety requirements. It also strongly recommends that you use a licensed electrical worker for everything.
The EWRB says the rules sit in section 79 of the Electricity Act 1992, regulation 57 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 and the homeowner code of practice, NZECP 51:2004, and that its own guidance is informative only. We couldn't read regulation 57 itself, and the lists of permitted fittings published by the EWRB and in WorkSafe's guidance don't fully match. So this page sticks to what both of them say. Before you start anything, read WorkSafe New Zealand's own guidance on doing your own electrical work, and NZECP 51.
Who the exemption covers
| Inside the exemption | Outside it | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose home | One you own or part own, and live in | A rental, another place you own, or a home your whānau live in |
| Payment | Unpaid work on your own home | Any work for payment, reward or koha |
| Existing fittings | Switches, power points and light fittings, with the power off and strict conditions | Anything in a switchboard, meter box or the mains |
| New wiring | Possible, but a licensed electrical inspector must test, certify and connect it | Connecting it to the power supply yourself |
| Special systems | None | Solar PV, EV charging, pools, spas, saunas and water features |
Existing fittings: what both sources agree on
In a home you own and live in, the EWRB's list and WorkSafe's guidance both include removing and replacing existing light switches, power points and light fittings. Beyond those three, the lists differ, so we don't name anything else.
The EWRB's conditions are strict. Nothing can be connected to the electricity supply while you work on it. You must be thoroughly familiar and competent with NZECP 51 and have the correct tools, including an electrical multimeter. Every fitting must be correctly isolated, replaced with one that's fit for purpose, and tested for electrical safety.
The EWRB also recommends homeowners don't replace fittings in damp areas at all: bathrooms, spa pools, saunas, water features and anywhere outdoors.
New wiring has to go through an inspector
If a homeowner installs, extends or alters cables, the work has to be inspected. The EWRB says an electrical inspector must test all homeowner wiring, certify it and connect it to the power supply, and NZECP 51 recommends contacting that inspector before you start. If the work is safe, the licensed inspector connects it, tests it and issues a Certificate of Compliance.
The EWRB says homeowners must not enter any enclosure where live conductors are likely to be, and must not connect to wiring that's only been isolated by a switch, fuse or isolator. It must be fully disconnected. NZECP 51 adds that new cables from the main switchboard stop in the ceiling space near the board. Placing and connecting any cable into the switchboard is work for a licensed electrical worker.
Never homeowner work
Both the EWRB and WorkSafe put these off limits to homeowners: anything in the switchboard or meter box, work where live wires are likely to be, and connecting your own wiring to the supply. The EWRB also excludes the mains, solar PV systems and EV charging units, and WorkSafe's homeowner code doesn't cover solar PV. Gen Less says a wall-mounted EV charger must be installed by a registered electrician.
Wiring for swimming pools, paddling pools, spa pools, saunas, fountains and water features is excluded too, along with wiring in conduits, neutral screen or armoured cable.
Rentals, family and friends
Landlords, tenants, employers and employees can't do electrical work in a rented property or a workplace unless they're registered and hold a current practising licence. The EWRB says the homeowner exemption excludes rental properties, other places you own, and other properties your whānau live in.
NZECP 51 says only a licensed electrical worker can work on another person's home, or do work for payment, reward or koha. So your handy brother-in-law can't do your wiring as a favour unless he's licensed.
If you're in any doubt, don't
Palmerston North City Council's homeowner advice is to turn the power off and stay away from live terminals before any DIY work, and if you have any doubt, use a licensed professional. Mains electricity can kill. A tester that's faulty, a circuit labelled wrongly, or a second supply you didn't know about can all leave a wire live when you think it's dead.
Why we'd still use an electrician
The EWRB warns that insurance can be affected when electrical work isn't done, and signed off with a certificate, by a licensed electrical worker. It also says your Certificate of Compliance may be needed for an insurance claim or when you sell your home.
A licensed electrician's work comes with the right certificate for the risk level, and if something's wrong, you have the Consumer Guarantees Act and the EWRB behind you. Work you did yourself comes with neither.
Where the line sits
You can
- Reset a tripped RCD or breaker once, and unplug appliances to find a faulty one.
- Change light bulbs and smoke alarm batteries.
- In a home you own and live in, unpaid, and only within NZECP 51 and the EWRB's conditions: remove and replace existing switches, power points and light fittings.
- Plan any new wiring with a licensed electrical inspector before you start.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Anything in the switchboard, meter box or mains.
- Solar PV and EV chargers.
- Testing, certifying and connecting any homeowner wiring (a licensed electrical inspector).
- Every electrical job in a rental or someone else's home.
- Bathrooms, outdoor fittings and other damp areas, as the EWRB recommends.
Our honest take
We wouldn't do our own electrical work, and we don't suggest you do. The legal room is small, the conditions are strict, and the cost of a mistake is a fire or a shock, not a wonky shelf. If you want to save on a job, do the prep that isn't electrical, like clearing the ceiling space or patching and painting afterwards, and leave the wiring to someone licensed.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.