DOIA REQ 0021398 Extension.pdf

20 October 2025

Ref: DOIA-REQ-0021398

Andrew McGregor
Email: [FYI request #32360 email]

Tēnā koe Andrew

Thank you for your request of 23 September 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innova5on and
Employment (MBIE) reques5ng, under the Oﬃcial Informa5on Act 1982 (the Act), the following
informa5on:

I am wri ng to request informa on regarding the Electrical Workers Registra on Board’s (EWRB)
Competence Programme requirements for Hazardous Area endorsements.
In the Electricity (Prescribed Requirements for Competence Programmes) No ce 2023 (2023-
sl4076), the Competence Programme requirements for Hazardous Area endorsements reference
the following standards:
•       AS/NZS 60079.0
•       AS/NZS 60079.11
•       AS/NZS 60079.14
•       AS/NZS 60079.17
•       AS/NZS 60079.18
•       AS/NZS 60079.29.2
•       AS/NZS 60079.35.1
I seek clariﬁca on on the inclusion of some of these standards:
1.      AS/NZS 60079.11 and AS/NZS 60079.18 are manufacturing standards. They set requirements
for the construc on of intrinsically safe apparatus and encapsulated equipment, respec vely.
These are not standards rela ng to installa on, inspec on, tes ng, or maintenance, which are the
prescribed electrical work ac vi es relevant to registered electrical workers.
2.      AS/NZS 60079.35.1 is speciﬁcally for ba<ery-operated Caplights for use in mines suscep ble
to ﬁredamp. This appears to be outside the scope of general hazardous area electrical work for
two reasons:
•       Mining is a dis nct area of prac ce with its own endorsement.
•       The devices in ques on are ba<ery-operated Caplights, which are not considered prescribed
electrical work under the Electricity Act, as they are self-contained ba<ery devices rather than
mains or ﬁxed electrical installa ons.
Accordingly, my request is as follows:
•       Please provide the reasoning, documenta on, or policy basis that explains why the above
standards (AS/NZS 60079.11, AS/NZS 60079.18, and AS/NZS 60079.35.1) are included in the
Competence Programme requirements for hazardous area endorsements as set out in the 2023-
sl4076 Electricity (Prescribed Requirements for Competence Programmes) No ce 2023.
•       Please advise whether the EWRB has considered limi ng the scope of required standards to
those directly relevant to prescribed electrical work (e.g., installa on, inspec on, tes ng, and
maintenance), such as AS/NZS 60079.14 and AS/NZS 60079.17.

•       Please provide any internal guidance, working papers, or consulta on feedback received on
this ma<er.

I am wri5ng to advise you that MBIE will provide a response but needs to extend the 5me available to
answer your request. MBIE’s response will be sent to you no later than 31 October 2025, an extension of 7
working days.

The reason for the extension is that your request necessitates a search through a large quan5ty of
informa5on and mee5ng the original 5me limit would unreasonably interfere with our opera5ons.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact [email address].

You have the right to seek an inves5ga5on and review by the Ombudsman of our decision to extend the
5me limit. Informa5on about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.

Nāku noa, nā

Bevan Yee
Na onal Manager Occupa onal Regula on (Ac ng)
Market Integrity