13.5 Periodic Assessment, Warrants of Electrical Fitness & AS/NZS 3019
Key Takeaways
- Regulation 75 requires periodic assessment of caravan park and boat marina installations at intervals not exceeding 5 years, and carnival and fairground installations at intervals not exceeding 1 year.
- A record of periodic assessment under regulation 75(4) must be given to the person requesting the assessment and kept for at least 3 years or sent to WorkSafe, which is a different retention period from the 7 years that applies to certification records.
- AS/NZS 3019, now cited in Schedule 2 in its 2022 edition, covers periodic verification of existing installations and is distinct from the Section 8 verification of new prescribed electrical work.
- A warrant of electrical fitness for a connectable installation expires 4 years from its date of issue, or 1 year for a mobile medical facility, and the issuer must keep a copy for at least 3 years or send one to WorkSafe.
- Regulation 76 prohibits supplying electricity to a connectable installation in a vehicle, relocatable building or pleasure vessel without verifying it has a current warrant of electrical fitness.
13.5 Periodic Assessment, Warrants of Electrical Fitness & AS/NZS 3019
Quick Answer: Chapters 9 and 10 taught verification of new work under Section 8 of AS/NZS 3000. This section covers the ongoing duties: regulation 75 periodic assessments (caravan parks and marinas 5 years, carnivals 1 year), AS/NZS 3019 periodic verification of existing installations, and the warrant of electrical fitness system for connectable installations under regulations 76 to 78 (warrant expires 4 years from issue, 1 year for a mobile medical facility).
New-work verification versus periodic assessment
Candidates conflate three different activities. Separate them once and a whole family of stems becomes easy.
| Activity | Trigger | Governing document | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verification of new PEW | You did prescribed electrical work | Section 8 of AS/NZS 3000, with AS/NZS 3017 test methods | CoC, ESC, RoI as the risk category requires |
| Periodic verification of an existing installation | Someone wants to know the condition of installed work you did not just do | AS/NZS 3019 (cited in Schedule 2 in its 2022 edition) | Verification report to the standard |
| Periodic assessment under reg 75 | The installation is one of the listed high-turnover or high-consequence types | Regulation 75 plus the standard named for that installation type | Record of assessment |
The language matters: a certificate of compliance certifies work you did; a record of assessment records the periodic condition of an installation type the Regulations single out.
Regulation 75 — periodic assessments of certain installations
Regulation 75(1) puts the duty on the owners and operators of the listed installations to ensure they are periodically assessed to determine whether they are electrically safe and otherwise comply with the Regulations.
| Installation type | Assessed in accordance with | Maximum interval |
|---|---|---|
| Low voltage installations in caravan parks | AS/NZS 3001 | 5 years |
| Low voltage installations in boat marinas | AS/NZS 3004.1 | 5 years |
| Low voltage installations at demolition and construction sites | AS/NZS 3012 | As set by the Standard |
| Low voltage installations at carnivals and fair grounds | AS/NZS 3002 | 1 year |
| Low voltage installations, other than domestic, in hazardous areas | AS/NZS 60079.17 | As set by the Standard |
| Installations for use with electrical medical devices — mobile medical facilities | NZS 6115 | As set by the Standard |
| Installations for use with electrical medical devices — any other medical location | AS/NZS 3003 | As set by the Standard |
The two intervals stated in the regulation itself are the examinable ones: 5 years for caravan parks and marinas, 1 year for carnivals and fair grounds. The logic is intuitive — a carnival is rigged, struck and re-rigged constantly, so it gets the shortest clock.
Who may assess (reg 75(2) and (3))
- For caravan parks, marinas and construction/demolition sites, only a person authorised to assess prescribed electrical work on that kind of installation in that location.
- For carnivals, hazardous areas and medical installations, only a person with the competencies referred to in the relevant standard.
That split is deliberate: the first group runs on NZ authorisation classes, the second on the technical competencies the specialist Standard defines.
The record of assessment (reg 75(4) and (4A))
A person who completes a periodic assessment must:
- complete a record of assessment;
- in it, state whether the assessment was carried out in accordance with a standard (and identify it) and whether it was carried out in accordance with a certified design (and identify it);
- give the record to the person requesting the assessment; and
- keep a copy for at least 3 years, or send a copy to WorkSafe.
If the relevant standard prescribes a form, reg 75(4A) requires the record to be in that form.
High-yield contrast: certification records under regs 72A, 74E and 74G are kept 7 years. Records of assessment under reg 75(4)(d) are kept 3 years (or sent to WorkSafe). Warrants of electrical fitness under reg 78(3)(b) are also 3 years. A stem that offers 7 years for a record of assessment is testing exactly this.
AS/NZS 3019 — periodic verification of existing installations
AS/NZS 3019 sits at knowledge level C on the regulations prescription, meaning general knowledge: know what it is for, know when it is the right document, and be able to find it. It is now cited in Schedule 2 in its 2022 edition following the 13 November 2025 amendment (Section 1.4).
What it does:
- Provides the framework for the periodic verification and condition assessment of existing low voltage installations, rather than the acceptance testing of new work.
- Distinguishes visual inspection of an in-service installation from the testing that can be done without unreasonable disruption to occupants.
- Supports reporting on defects and deterioration — ageing insulation, corroded earthing, unsuitable modifications, missing RCD protection — where the installation was lawful when built but is no longer in acceptable condition.
AS/NZS 3019 also appears on the practical side of EWRB registration: the Stage 2 and Stage 3 practical skill assessments require testing of existing single-phase and three-phase MEN installations in accordance with the relevant section of AS/NZS 3019, including positively identifying and confirming the neutral conductor of the mains. If a stem is about existing wiring you did not install, AS/NZS 3019 is the document to reach for, not Section 8 of AS/NZS 3000.
Warrants of electrical fitness — connectable installations (regs 76 to 78)
A connectable installation is the electrical installation inside something that plugs into a supply and moves — a caravan, a relocatable building, a pleasure vessel. Because it is mobile, it cannot be policed by the ordinary certification chain, so the Regulations use a warrant instead.
The three duties
| Regulation | Duty | Penalty on conviction |
|---|---|---|
| 76(1) | Before permitting or authorising connection of supply to a connectable installation in a vehicle, relocatable building or pleasure vessel, the person supplying electricity must verify it has a current warrant of electrical fitness | Level 1 |
| 77(1) | A person must not hire or lease out, or offer to, a vehicle, relocatable building or pleasure vessel containing a connectable installation unless it has a current warrant | Level 1 |
| 78(7) | Offences for issuing a warrant otherwise than in accordance with reg 78, for an electrically unsafe connectable installation, or without authorisation | Level 1 |
Who may issue (reg 78(1))
- a person authorised to inspect mains work;
- a person authorised by the Secretary immediately before the Regulations commenced, limited to the same class of connectable installation; or
- for a connectable installation certified under regulation 66, the person who did that certification — and the warrant may be issued at the same time as the certification.
Which standard applies (reg 78(2))
Warrants are issued in accordance with AS/NZS 3001, except:
- pleasure vessel → AS/NZS 3004.2;
- mobile medical facility → NZS 6115;
- imported connectable installation → AS/NZS 3001, but only after an assessment for compliance with Part 1 of AS/NZS 3000.
What the issuer must do (reg 78(3)) and expiry (reg 78(4))
The issuer must give the warrant to the person who requested it, keep a copy for at least 3 years or send a copy to WorkSafe, complete a warrant sticker in the form prescribed or approved by WorkSafe, and affix the sticker in a prominent place on the connectable installation.
A warrant expires on the earlier of:
- the date a new warrant is issued for that connectable installation; or
- 4 years from its date of issue — or 1 year for a mobile medical facility.
Electrical medical devices (reg 91)
Separately from installations, the owner of an electrical medical device must ensure the device is periodically assessed in accordance with AS/NZS 3551 to determine whether it is electrically safe. Keep this distinct from reg 75(1)(f), which is about the installation serving medical locations, and from AS/NZS 3003, which is the installation Standard for patient areas.
Exam angles
| Stem clue | Right document / number |
|---|---|
| "Caravan park owner asks how often" | Reg 75(1)(a), AS/NZS 3001, 5 years |
| "A-and-P show and fairground supply" | Reg 75(1)(d), AS/NZS 3002, 1 year |
| "How long do we keep the record of assessment?" | 3 years, or send to WorkSafe (reg 75(4)(d)) — not 7 |
| "Condition report on a 40-year-old shop installation" | AS/NZS 3019, not Section 8 of AS/NZS 3000 |
| "Hire company leasing out a caravan" | Reg 77 — needs a current warrant |
| "When does the warrant run out?" | 4 years from issue; 1 year for a mobile medical facility; or when a new warrant is issued |
| "Who checks the warrant before connecting?" | The person supplying electricity (reg 76(1)) |
Bottom line for Section 13.5
Compliance in New Zealand does not stop at the certificate. Learn the reg 75 list with its two stated intervals (5 years caravan parks and marinas, 1 year carnivals), the 3-year record-of-assessment retention that contrasts with the 7-year certification retention, AS/NZS 3019 as the existing-installation document, and the warrant of electrical fitness chain with its 4-year life and 1-year mobile-medical exception.
Under regulation 75, at what maximum interval must low voltage installations at carnivals and fair grounds be periodically assessed?
A warrant of electrical fitness is issued for a caravan's connectable installation. When does it expire?
An electrician is asked to report on the condition of an existing 40-year-old commercial installation that they did not install. Which document is the primary reference for that work?