Unlicensed electricians fined thousands for dangerous work across New Zealand

An unlicensed electrician’s negligent work on an Auckland home nearly set the house on fire.

It was just one of five cases involving amateur sparkies doing dangerous work that landed before the courts in the past six months.

It has prompted the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to warn homeowners to ensure they are soliciting the services of licensed electricians, and a reminder of the dangers of allowing unskilled and untrained people to do electrical work.

Rupesh Kumar was fined $3500 after he was convicted of negligent work on an electrical installation in a manner dangerous to life. His case was heard at the Manukau District Court on July 12.

Kumar was hired to install and connect a hot water cylinder. Several months later, the homeowner noticed a burning smell and called the fire brigade. A full-scale blaze was only just avoided, MBIE said.

Last month, Graeme Kyle was fined $6000 in the Dannevirke District Court for unauthorised and negligent work. He left two live wires exposed and triggered a subcircuit overload that burned part of a switchboard.

Also in June, Han Joong Kim was fined $6000 in the Whangārei District Court for completing unauthorised prescribed electrical work when he installed conductors and fittings in three cabins he planned to rent on his property.

Others brought before the court and fined since March include Jing Jing Wang, Santini Renney, and Super Cell Ltd, a company fined $9000 for knowingly allowing an unlicensed person to install a home ventilation system in a residential property in Auckland.

Registrar of the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) Duncan Connor, said regulating electricians and other electrical workers ensured people doing the work were properly trained and could avoid electrical hazards.

The EWRB filed “a number” of court cases involving shoddy jobs and unlicensed sparkies. Those cases showed homeowners and residents were unsuspecting of the electricians’ lack of credentials, Mbie said.

“All complaints about unregistered electrical workers and poor or dangerous electrical work are taken seriously and investigated by the EWRB, who will not hesitate to prosecute those undertaking illegal prescribed electrical work,” Connor said.

“Pretending to be an electrical worker and carrying out prescribed electrical work is not only deceitful, it’s highly dangerous for everyone involved.

“Anyone engaging an electrical worker should check the public register and ask to see their licence details before hiring them,” he said.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.