Electrical Engineer

To become an Electrical Engineer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Complete one of the below Electrical Engineer qualifications:
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) qualification or
  • National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (Level 6), or
  • New Zealand Certificate in Engineering (Electrical); OR
  • an equivalent Electrical Engineer qualification as determined by either the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand or the New Zealand Qualifications Authority; and
• Must have completed 1 year (2000 hours) practical training/experience in the work of an Electrical Engineer overseas that is satisfactory to the Board.

Registration class

Electrical Engineer

Minimum amount of work experience required

1 year (2000 hours)

Required work experience

All electrical work (except work in a mining operation) and includes:

• Installing and connecting high and low voltage single phase and multiphase cables (overhead /underground) and associated fittings
• Installing electrical wiring and equipment in commercial and domestic buildings
• Installing Switchboards
• Installing lighting and power outlets and appliances
• Earthing /bonding
• Fault-finding
• Testing
• Certification

1 year (2000 hours) of the work of an electrician above which must include at least 9 months (1500 hours) of installation wiring work.

OR

Electrical work can be limited to specific area of experience and expertise.
This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will need to have evidence of practical “hands on” work experience including at least 9 months (1500 hours) of installation wiring experience.
Areas of work can range (but not limited to) examples below:

• High and medium voltage power generation, transmission, distribution substations, protection, and control systems.

You must provide the following documents in your application.

Certified proof of identity

• A certified copy of the front and back of your current New Zealand Driver’s Licence; or
• A certified copy of your current Passport biographic page.

*Certified: Certification of your copied documents must be done by either a Justice of the Peace, a Public Notary, a Solicitor or NZ Court Registrar.

Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 – New Zealand Legislation

The official confirmation that the copies of your documents are identical to the original documents. The confirmation is issued by an authorised public authority or a Notary.

Certified work history references from Employer or supervisor

You must provide certified, detailed references of your work experience.

Your references must:

• Be certified;
• Detail the prescribed electrical work experience that you have completed
  Prescribed electrical work – New Zealand Legislation;
• Include the start and end dates of employment for each company;
• Contain sufficient experience in the area you seek registration;
• Be on company letterhead;
• Be signed and dated by your employer or supervisor; and
• Contain email contact details for your employer or supervisor

*Certified: Certification of your copied documents must be done by either a Justice of the Peace, a Public Notary, a Solicitor or NZ Court Registrar.

Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 – New Zealand Legislation

The official confirmation that the copies of your documents are identical to the original documents. The confirmation is issued by an authorised public authority or a Notary.

If the information in your documents is not in English, you must include a certified English translation.

Do not apply if you have not completed the required hours, as your application will be declined.

Your overseas references must contain details of your work experience you have completed so we can determine if your experience is suitable for EWRB registration. You can attach a position description in support of your references.

Please note falsifying work references is fraud if you are applying for registration based on those references.

Passport quality photo

• A photo that meets the criteria for your ID card:
  • A face, head and shoulders shot, looking directly at the camera and less than 6 months old;
  • Plain, light coloured background;
  • No sunglasses, glasses with tinted lenses OR headwear that obscures your face;
  • 3:4 – width to height ratio, in full colour;
  • Between 50KB and 5MB in size (or printed image for paper applications); and
  • Saved in .jpg or .jpeg format.
• Check that your photo meets the requirements here:
  Online photo checker – New Zealand passports

Qualifications

• A certified colour copy of your official Electrical Engineer qualification certificate (do not submit original documents);
• You must have your Electrical Engineer qualification assessed by Engineering NZ or NZQA, and it must be NZQA Level 6 or higher to be accepted;
• You must submit the equivalency statement in your overseas registration application;
• Only “Electrical” Engineer qualifications are accepted.

*Certified: Certification of your copied documents must be done by either a Justice of the Peace, a Public Notary, a Solicitor or NZ Court Registrar.

Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 – New Zealand Legislation

The official confirmation that the copies of your documents are identical to the original documents. The confirmation is issued by an authorised public authority or a Notary.

If the information in your documents is not in English, you must include a certified English translation.

Payment details

You can pay for your application by credit or debit card. All payments made outside the New Zealand banking system must be made by credit card.