1.4 Which Editions Apply: ESR Schedule 2 & the 13 November 2025 Update
Key Takeaways
- The Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025 came into force on 13 November 2025 and replaced the Schedule 2 citation of AS/NZS 3000:2007 (Amendments 1 and 2) with AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1, 2 and 3.
- A 12-month transition runs from 13 November 2025 to 12 November 2026; from 13 November 2026 only the newly cited editions are legally available.
- About 440 standards citations were refreshed, including AS/NZS 3017:2022, AS/NZS 3019:2022, AS/NZS 3012:2019 (Amd 1), AS/NZS 3003:2018 (Amd 1), AS/NZS 3010:2017 (Amd 1), AS/NZS 3001.1:2022 and AS/NZS 3001.2:2022, AS/NZS 5033:2021, AS/NZS 4777.1:2024, AS/NZS 4836:2023 and AS/NZS 60079.14:2022.
- The EWRB Teaching Guidelines for Electrician were issued on 12 July 2011 and still name AS/NZS 3000:2007; where the 2011 prescription and the amended Regulations disagree on edition, the Regulations are the law.
- Licensed electrical workers can read the cited Standards free through the MBIE Kete portal using a RealMe login, so there is no excuse for sitting the exam against the wrong edition.
1.4 Which Editions Apply: ESR Schedule 2 & the 13 November 2025 Update
Quick Answer: Schedule 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (ESR) lists the Standards the Regulations make mandatory. On 13 November 2025 the Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025 replaced the long-standing citation of AS/NZS 3000:2007 with AS/NZS 3000:2018 including Amendments 1, 2 and 3, and refreshed roughly 440 other citations. A 12-month transition runs 13 November 2025 – 12 November 2026. From 13 November 2026 only the newly cited editions apply. On an open-reference exam, carrying the wrong edition is a self-inflicted wound.
Why edition is a scoring issue, not admin
This is an open-reference paper. You are not being tested on whether you memorised a clause; you are being tested on whether you can find and apply the right rule under time pressure. That makes the physical book on your desk part of your exam technique.
Two failure modes follow directly from edition confusion:
- You look up a clause number from memory and land in the wrong place. Between the 2007 and 2018 editions of AS/NZS 3000 the material was rewritten and renumbered. A clause reference you learned from an old apprenticeship handout may point at different content in the current book.
- You answer with a requirement that is no longer the cited one. If a stem hinges on a requirement that changed between editions, the answer keyed against the cited edition is the only correct one.
How the citation machinery works
New Zealand does not write its wiring rules inside the Regulations. Instead the ESR cite external Standards, and Schedule 2 is the master list.
| Layer | What it is | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Act | Electricity Act 1992 — head powers, offences, Codes of Practice under Part 4 | Statute |
| Regulations | Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 — duties, PEW, certification, safety definitions | Secondary legislation |
| Schedule 2 | The table of abbreviations used in the regulations mapped to full titles with edition and amendment numbers | Inside the ESR |
| The Standard itself | AS/NZS 3000, AS/NZS 3008.1.2, AS/NZS 3017, companion Standards | Published by Standards NZ |
| Codes of Practice | NZECP 34, 50, 51, 54 and the rest, approved under the Act | Published by WorkSafe |
The practical consequence: when the ESR says "AS/NZS 3000", it means precisely the edition and amendments listed in Schedule 2 — not "whatever edition you own". Schedule 2 is therefore the first place to look when a stem turns on which document governs.
What changed on 13 November 2025
The Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025 came into force on 13 November 2025 and updated the Standards cited in Schedules 2 and 4. Around 440 citations were refreshed. The headline change, and the one that matters most to an electrician candidate:
| Citation | Before | From 13 November 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 3000 | 2007: including Amendments 1 and 2 | 2018: including Amendments 1, 2 and 3 |
Other updates a regulations candidate should recognise:
| Standard | Newly cited edition |
|---|---|
| AS/NZS 3001.1 / AS/NZS 3001.2 (transportable structures and vehicles) | 2022 |
| AS/NZS 3003 (patient areas) | 2018, including Amendment 1 |
| AS/NZS 3004.1 / AS/NZS 3004.2 (marinas / recreational boats) | 2014 / 2014 including Amendment 1 |
| AS/NZS 3010 (generating sets) | 2017, including Amendment 1 |
| AS/NZS 3012 (construction and demolition sites) | 2019, including Amendment 1 |
| AS/NZS 3017 (verification guidelines) | 2022 |
| AS/NZS 3019 (periodic verification of existing installations) | 2022 |
| AS/NZS 4777.1 (grid connection via inverters) | 2024 |
| AS/NZS 4836 (safe working on low voltage) | 2023 |
| AS/NZS 5033 (photovoltaic arrays) | 2021 |
| AS/NZS 60079.14 / 60079.17 (explosive atmospheres) | 2022 / 2017 |
The transition window — and why it ends during your study year
| Date | Status |
|---|---|
| Before 13 Nov 2025 | AS/NZS 3000:2007 (Amd 1 and 2) is the cited edition |
| 13 Nov 2025 – 12 Nov 2026 | Transition period — the amended Regulations are in force with a 12-month changeover |
| From 13 Nov 2026 | Only the newly cited editions are legally available; new installations whose construction begins after 12 November 2026 must comply with the new Standard |
If you are studying in 2026, you are sitting inside that window. Two disciplined habits follow:
- Buy or borrow the 2018 edition. A 2007 book is on borrowed time and is already not the cited edition.
- Ask Aspeq which edition the paper is set against for your booking date. Permitted-materials lists are set per sitting; do not rely on a classmate's list from an earlier year.
When official sources disagree
You will meet stale copy while researching this exam. Handle it with a rule, not a guess.
| Source | What it says | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Amended ESR (in force 13 Nov 2025) | AS/NZS 3000:2018 incl. Amd 1, 2, 3 | Highest — it is the law |
| EWRB Teaching Guidelines for Electrician (issued 12 July 2011) | AS/NZS 3000:2007 incl. Amendment 1 | Prescription scope is still useful; the edition is stale |
| EWRB "Which Standards apply" toolbox page | AS/NZS 3000:2007 | Stale web copy |
| A trainer's handout | Whatever it was printed against | Lowest |
The rule the exam rewards: prefer the newest applicable instrument from the regulator or exam owner over stale local copy. The 2011 Teaching Guidelines remain the authority on what topics the regulations paper covers; they are not the authority on which edition of a Standard is cited today.
Getting the Standards without paying twice
EWRB confirms that a licensed electrical worker can access many of the required electrical Standards at no cost through the MBIE web portal at kete.mbie.govt.nz using a RealMe login. Schedule 2 of the ESR lists every Standard cited or quoted in the Regulations, so use Schedule 2 as your index and the portal as your library. Paper copies for exam use are bought through Standards New Zealand.
Exam angles
- "Which document governs?" stems: go Schedule 2 first, then the Standard.
- "Which edition applies?" stems: the answer is the edition cited in Schedule 2, not the newest edition published, and not the one in your van.
- Transition stems: the correct framing is a dated changeover with an end date, not "the old one is banned immediately" and not "you can use any edition forever".
- Trap: treating the EWRB Teaching Guidelines' 2007 reference as proof that the 2007 edition is still cited. The Guidelines were issued in 2011; the Regulations were amended in 2025.
Bottom line for Section 1.4
Schedule 2 is the bridge between the Regulations and the Standards, and that bridge moved on 13 November 2025. Know the new AS/NZS 3000 citation (2018, Amendments 1, 2 and 3), know the transition end date (12 November 2026), know that several companion Standards moved with it, and confirm the permitted edition with Aspeq before you book. Everything the rest of this guide teaches about AS/NZS 3000 assumes you have the cited edition open in front of you.
Which edition of AS/NZS 3000 is cited in Schedule 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 following the amendment that came into force on 13 November 2025?
When does the 12-month transition period for the updated Schedule 2 standards citations end?
The EWRB Teaching Guidelines for Electrician, issued 12 July 2011, name AS/NZS 3000:2007. The amended Regulations cite AS/NZS 3000:2018. How should a candidate resolve this?