What electricians are usually called out for
Domestic work tends to be either an addition or a fault. Additions are things like new power points, outdoor power, lighting changes, extractor fans, EV charger installation and wiring for heat pumps or ovens. Faults are tripping circuits, lights or sockets that have stopped working, and burning smells, which should be treated as urgent.
Older Christchurch housing, particularly homes that have not been rewired, can reach the limits of what the original wiring was designed for once modern appliances and heating are added. An electrician will often look at the switchboard first for that reason.
- New power points, lighting and outdoor power
- Switchboard inspection and upgrades
- Heat pump, oven and appliance wiring
- EV charger installation
- Fault finding on circuits that keep tripping
- Smoke alarm installation
Registration and certificates
Electrical work in New Zealand is governed by the Electricity Act 1992 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, which WorkSafe administers. People who carry out prescribed electrical work must be registered and hold a current practising licence, and the Electrical Workers Registration Board keeps a public register you can check.
For most fixed wiring work, the electrician must give you a Certificate of Compliance. That is a formal statement that the work was done lawfully and tested as safe, and only an authorised person can issue one. Some minor maintenance still has to be tested but does not need a certificate. Ask at the time of booking whether your job will come with one, and keep it: it matters when you sell the house or make an insurance claim.
This directory does not verify registration for any listing. Check the Board's register yourself.
What affects the price of a job
- Whether the job is diagnosis or a known installation
- How accessible the wiring is, and whether there is ceiling or underfloor access
- Whether the switchboard has spare capacity or needs work first
- The fittings you choose, and whether you supply them
- Whether a Certificate of Compliance is required
- Whether the work needs to be done outside normal hours
Safety before the electrician arrives
If a circuit keeps tripping, leave it off rather than resetting it repeatedly, and describe what was running when it went. If you can smell burning, see scorch marks around a socket, or have water near electrical fittings, treat it as urgent and say so when you make contact. Do not attempt prescribed electrical work yourself: it is restricted for good reason, and unauthorised work can invalidate insurance.