Prosecution - EWRB v Dagaas

In March 2019, a property owner engaged Junbert Dagaas to carry out plumbing and building renovation at a property in Addington, Christchurch. The renovation included sanitary plumbing work and prescribed electrical work. Mr Dagaas was in charge of the renovation. Mr Dagaas recruited several people to assist in the renovation, including Narciso Arias.

Neither Mr Dagaas nor Mr Arias held any registration, license or authorisation to do sanitary plumbing or prescribed electrical work. Mr Dagaas knew that Mr Arias did not hold the requisite registration, but directed Mr Arias to complete this work anyway.

Charges were brought by the Electrical Workers Registration Board and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board respectively.

Both the sanitary plumbing work and the prescribed electrical work was non-compliant in a number of ways and required remedial work.

On19 January 2021 Mr Dagaas was convicted of knowingly paying or permitting a person to do prescribed electrical work in breach of section 74 of the Electricity Act 1992 and of knowingly permitting or paying a person to do sanitary plumbing in breach of section 8(1) of the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act. He was ordered to pay financial cost and an emotional harm of $1500. He was also fined on $1,500 on each charge.