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Parliament’s specialist regulations committee validates industry concerns over electrical registration changes
Master Electricians has secured an important advocacy outcome following a complaint lodged jointly with the New Zealand Electrical Inspectors Association about the Electricity (Prescribed Classes of Registration for Electrical Workers) Notice 2025. The Notice sets out the classes of registration electrical workers must hold, the type of work each class authorises, and the training or experience needed to qualify for each class.
Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee has partially upheld the complaint and found that both the 2025 Notice and the preceding 2023 Notice constitute an unusual or unexpected use of regulation-making power. The notices are an attempt to modernise registration (including for high-risk areas).
The Committee checks that delegated law-making powers are being used appropriately. Its recommendations go to the Government and, if concerns are serious enough, to Parliament, which has the power to disallow a regulation. In this case, the Committee did not recommend disallowance but recommended actions to address its concerns.
This is a significant finding from a non-partisan parliamentary committee and validates many of the concerns Master Electricians has raised about the growing complexity of the electrical registration system and its practical impact on electrical workers and businesses.
Alex Vranyac-Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer
Master Electricians
What did the Committee find?
The Committee identified concerns relating to:
- The complexity of the proposed base-class and endorsement structure.
- The potential for electrical workers to face multiple registration, licensing and renewal fees.
- A lack of alignment between the Notices, the Electricity Act 1992 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.
- Unclear and overly general training and qualification requirements for some endorsed classes.
- Drafting issues that could unintentionally narrow or confuse the scope of prescribed electrical work.
- The adequacy of the consultation undertaken by the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
The Committee noted that the 2025 consultation period was limited to two weeks, attracted only 12 participants and did not provide industry with a sufficient opportunity to contribute comprehensively.
Although the Committee did not formally uphold the consultation component of the complaint, it found that the invitations to consult on both Notices were inadequate and that the 2025 process was unnecessarily truncated.
What has the Committee recommended?
The Committee has identified several potential actions for the Government and the Electrical Workers Registration Board, including:
- Redrafting the 2025 Notice to better align with the Electricity Act and Electricity (Safety) Regulations.
- Reforming the regulations and, if necessary, the Electricity Act to properly accommodate a more complex registration and endorsement system.
- Establishing a coordinated fee and renewal structure that avoids practitioners paying multiple fees for multiple classes.
- Clarifying the wording used to describe prescribed electrical work.
- Providing clearer and more specific training requirements for endorsement pathways.
Why this matters to members
Registration and licensing rules directly affect who can undertake electrical work, what qualifications or endorsements they need, and the costs they may incur.
Master Electricians has consistently argued that regulation must be clear, proportionate and workable in the real world. Electrical workers should not be required to navigate unnecessary complexity, uncertain training pathways or duplicated costs simply because the wider legislation has not kept pace with changes in technology and industry practice.
The Committee’s decision confirms that these concerns are legitimate and require action.
Is the Notice now overturned?
No. The Notice remains in effect, and electrical workers must continue to meet their existing legal and licensing obligations.
However, the decision places clear pressure on the Board and the Government to address the identified problems. It also provides a strong platform for Master Electricians’ continued engagement on the broader review of the Electricity Act and associated regulations. It is now up to the Government and the EWRB to respond to the Committee’s finding.
What happens next?
Master Electricians will seek an urgent response from the Minister for Building and Construction and the Electrical Workers Registration Board on how they intend to address the Committee’s findings and recommendations.
As part of its decision, the Committee has separately asked Master Electricians for examples of members who have had to pay multiple registration or licensing fees across different classes. If this applies to you, please send brief details to [insert contact email] so we can include them in our response to the Committee.
We will continue to advocate for:
- A modern and coherent Electricity Act and regulatory framework.
- Practical endorsement pathways that recognise existing practitioner competence.
- Clear, accessible and industry-aligned training requirements.
- A fair fee structure that avoids duplicated costs.
- Meaningful consultation with affected electrical workers and industry organisations.
- Regulation that protects public safety without creating unnecessary red tape.
This outcome demonstrates the value of strong, evidence-based industry representation. Master Electricians will continue to challenge regulatory settings where they do not serve electrical workers, businesses, consumers or New Zealand’s wider electrification objectives.