Kia ora Mark Harris,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 1/08/2025 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

Background
Connection of mains is high-risk prescribed electrical work (PEW) under
regulation 6A (2) (b) of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.
Regulation 70 to of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 requires
high-risk PEW is to be inspected.
Regulation 73A(1)(d) allows connection for connection of MAINS to occur up
6-months after inspection (ie issue of the record of inspection (ROI)).

Risks
The New Zealand Electrical Inspector’s Association (NZEIA) notes:
1.      That mains is high-risk PEW because a single fault (polarity error
and/or high-impedance neutral) will cause the installation to be unsafe.
2.      That the electrical inspector completing the inspection/ROI is not
be able to test the mains for either:
•       a polarity reversal fault or
•       a high-impedance neutral fault
without the service main cable terminated into the distribution network.
3.      That the connection electrical distribution business (EDB) making
the connection as part of works (rather than as part of the installation)
may result in no electrical safety certificate (ESC) being issued for the
mains high-risk PEW.

OIA Requests
1.      Is it an offence for an Inspector to issue an ROI without
deterministically ensuring that a mains polarity fault is not present at
the time the ROI is issued?
2.      Is it an offence for an Inspector to issue an ROI without
deterministically confirming that a high-impedance neutral fault is not
present at the time the ROI is issued?
3.      Is it an offence, by the EDB, the electrical inspector and/or the
electrician to have mains connected to the distribution network without an
ESC having been issued?
 
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 29/08/2025, being 20 working days after the day your request
was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe. If you have any enquiries
regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][MBIE request email].
 
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |  P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]