NZ Move to AS/NZS 3000:2018 Amendments 1 to 3

New Zealand is moving its wiring rules from AS/NZS 3000:2007 to AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1, 2 and 3. The change came in on 13 November 2025 with a one-year overlap, and that overlap ends at the close of 12 November 2026. From 13 November 2026, new work has to be done to the 2018 edition. This guide covers the dates, what to do with jobs that straddle the deadline, what goes on your certificate of compliance, and two other changes in the same regulations that every NZ sparky should know about.

The key dates

• 13 October 2025. The Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025 (SR 2025/225) are made.
• 13 November 2025. The regulations come into force. You can work to AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1 to 3 from this date, or keep using the old edition.
• Up to and including 12 November 2026. Either edition can be used.
• From 13 November 2026. Work that starts on or after this date must be done to AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1 to 3, with the New Zealand modifications.

Official pages word the end of the overlap slightly differently. Treat 12 November 2026 as the last day the old edition can be relied on for new work, and check the current WorkSafe guidance if a job sits right on the line.

What actually changed in the regulations

The Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 cite the standards that electrical work in New Zealand has to meet. The 2025 amendment updates those citations in Schedules 2 and 4, around 440 standards in all. The headline change is the wiring rules: the citation moves from AS/NZS 3000:2007 including Amendments 1 and 2 to AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1, 2 and 3, with New Zealand modifications set out in the regulations.

That means the standard itself is not the whole story. Read the New Zealand modifications in the regulations alongside the book, because they change how some clauses apply here.

Jobs that straddle the deadline

This is where most of the questions come from. The guidance from WorkSafe and the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) breaks down like this:

• Work started before 13 November 2025. EWRB guidance is that it can continue to the old standards.
• Work started under the old standard during the overlap. WorkSafe guidance is that it should be finished by 12 November 2026. If it is not, issue a certificate of compliance for the work completed and do the remainder to the new standard.
• Work started on or after 13 November 2026. The 2018 edition applies.

For anything still on the board in October, the simplest course is to switch the remaining work to the 2018 edition now rather than race the date.

Existing installations do not need upgrading

An existing installation can carry on being used and repaired as long as it is not unsafe, with no deadline to bring it up to the 2018 edition. Only the parts you add or alter have to meet the standard that applies to that work. A new circuit added to a 1990s board after the deadline is done to the 2018 edition; the rest of the board is not dragged up with it.

Certificates of compliance

Every certificate of compliance has to state which version of AS/NZS 3000 the work was done to, including the year and the amendments, for example AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1 to 3. Where one job spans the transition, EWRB guidance is to show which version applied to each stage of the work. If your certificate templates or job management software do not have a field for this, fix that before the deadline.

Other standards updated at the same time

The same amendment updated many other cited standards. Those most relevant to everyday installation work include:

• AS/NZS 3001.1:2022 and AS/NZS 3001.2, connectable and relocatable installations
• AS/NZS 3019:2022, periodic verification, used when reconnecting an installation that has been disconnected for more than six months
• AS/NZS 4777.1:2024, grid connection of inverter energy systems
• AS/NZS 5033:2021, photovoltaic arrays
• AS/NZS 3820:2020, essential safety requirements for electrical equipment

Check Schedule 2 of the regulations for the full list and for any standard you work to that is not listed here.

What is different in the 2018 edition

Coming from the 2007 edition, the jump is eleven years of changes, not just three amendments. In broad terms, and without reproducing the standard:

• RCDs. Wider RCD coverage of final subcircuits came with the 2018 base edition, and Amendment 2 (2021) dealt mainly with RCD types and their application. Check the RCD type as well as the rating for every circuit.
• Batteries. Amendment 1 brought in references to AS/NZS 5139 for battery systems.
• Switchboards. Amendments 2 and 3 adjusted switchboard requirements, with Amendment 3 (2023) largely updating outdated references.
• Arc fault detection devices. New Zealand requires them in some higher-risk situations where Australia does not. Check the New Zealand provisions for which final subcircuits and locations they cover.

The RCD selection guide and the RCD selection calculator cover RCD types and where each one is needed.

Two other changes in the same regulations

Supply voltage tolerance widened to plus or minus 10 percent

The permitted low voltage supply tolerance in regulation 28 widened from plus or minus 6 percent to plus or minus 10 percent from 13 November 2025, to make room for solar and electric vehicle load on the network. It matters for voltage rise on inverter circuits and for equipment that is sensitive to supply voltage. The voltage drop calculator and the solar PV calculator help with the installation side of that budget.

PEN switching: removed, then restored

The 2025 regulations removed the New Zealand prohibition on switching protective earth and PEN conductors. Electrical inspectors raised strong safety concerns, and WorkSafe advised electricians not to switch PE or PEN conductors in the meantime. The Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2026 restored the prohibition from 2 October 2026. The practical rule has not changed: do not switch the PEN conductor.

A checklist before 13 November 2026

1. Get the right edition. Get AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1, 2 and 3, and read the New Zealand modifications in Schedule 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 alongside it.
2. List the jobs that straddle the date. List every job being done to the old standard and check it will be finished by 12 November 2026. Plan which jobs to start under the 2018 edition now.
3. Update certificates and templates. Update certificate of compliance templates so every certificate states the AS/NZS 3000 version, year and amendments, and can show the version per stage of work.
4. Check RCD and switchboard practice. Review RCD types and coverage, switchboard requirements and battery installation references against the 2018 edition and its amendments.
5. Brief the team. Make sure everyone doing prescribed electrical work knows the dates, the certificate requirement, and that PEN conductors must not be switched.

Sources

This guide summarises the official material below. It does not reproduce the standard or the regulations. Read the source for anything your work depends on.

• Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025 (SR 2025/225), New Zealand Legislation
• WorkSafe: Important update, changes to electricity safety regulations for electrical installations
• WorkSafe: Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
• EWRB: Guidance, changes to Electricity Safety Regulations 2010
• MBIE: Prohibition on PEN switching restored
• Master Electricians NZ: Transition timeline for the 2025 electrical safety amendments

Frequently asked questions