How to Check a Tradesperson's Credentials in NZ

How to Check a Tradesperson's Credentials in NZ

There is no single place in New Zealand to check a tradesperson. That is the whole problem, and it is also the thing that makes this easier than it sounds once you see the pattern.

Where a trade is regulated, the regulator almost always has to keep a public register. A register is what makes a licence mean anything. So the skill is not memorising a list of regulators — it is knowing which trades are regulated at all, and knowing that "regulated" nearly always means "there is a register you can read in ninety seconds".

The other half is the bit people skip: being qualified and being allowed to do the work are two different things. A person can be registered and still not currently entitled to touch your switchboard, your pipes or your teeth. Ask for the number and the expiry date, then check both.

How We Researched This Guide

We built this one from the registers themselves rather than from the trades' own marketing. The Electrical Workers Registration Board, the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, the Licensed Building Practitioners register, the Real Estate Authority, the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, the WorkSafe asbestos licence register, the Dental Council and the Physiotherapy Board all publish searchable registers, and we read the rules behind each one.

One thing surprised us. Plumbers and drainlayers licences expire on 31 March every year, and electricians renew every two years — so "are you registered?" gets a true answer that is not the answer you need. We also hit a live disagreement: a Ministry of Justice release about the Disputes Tribunal fee rise quoted $468 for the top band, but the Tribunal's own Forms & Fees page states $496. We used $496, because the Tribunal page is the more current source. The $60,000 claim limit is set out on the Disputes Tribunal site.

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The Quick Summary (60-Second Version)

If you read nothing else, read this.

• Ask for the registration number and the expiry date of the current licence or certificate. Registration and the right to practise are separate things.
• Electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, drainlayers, LBPs, real estate agents, financial advisers, locksmiths, asbestos removalists and health practitioners all have public registers.
• Gardeners, cleaners, painters, landscapers, mechanics, garage door repairers, removalists and dog groomers are not licensed at all. There is no register to check.
• For an unregulated trade, the single best question is: "Can I see your public liability insurance certificate?"
• A written quote that separates labour, materials and exclusions beats a cheaper verbal one every time.
• If something goes wrong, give the trader a written chance to fix it first — that step protects your rights.

Which Trades Can Actually Be Verified

The world splits into four groups, and only the first has a register you can read. It helps to know which group you are dealing with before you start asking questions, because the questions change.

Licensed, with a public register

Electricians and other electrical workers sit on the Electrical Workers Registration Board register. Plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers sit on the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board register, which also shows who holds a self-certification endorsement. Licensed Building Practitioners have their own register showing licence class and any discipline in the last three years.

Outside the trades, the same logic applies. Real estate agents and salespeople are on the Real Estate Authority register. Financial advice providers and advisers are on the Financial Service Providers Register. Locksmiths and security technicians are on the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority register. Asbestos removalists are on the WorkSafe licence holder register. Health practitioners each have their own responsible authority.

Certified by an industry body or an independent certifier

Some trades are checkable without being Crown-regulated. Scaffolders hold a certificate of competence issued by SARNZ under the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995. Pest controllers handling fumigants and vertebrate toxic agents hold a certified handler compliance certificate from an independent compliance certifier, plus a controlled substance licence. These are real documents with expiry dates. Ask to see them.

Appointed or authorised rather than licensed

Vehicle inspectors who issue warrants of fitness are appointed by the NZ Transport Agency under the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002, and the inspecting organisation they work for is appointed too. A WoF is only lawfully issued by an appointed inspector working for an appointed organisation. That is worth knowing next time a repair list arrives with your warrant.

Not regulated at all — the bigger half

The Two-Step Check That Works for Any Regulated Trade

Once you know a trade has a register, the check itself takes a minute. The mistake almost everybody makes is stopping after step one.

Step one: are they registered?

Registration means the person has met the minimum standard for a class. It happens once, when they qualify. An electrician holds a registration in a class — Electrical Service Technician, Installer, Electrician, Engineer, Inspector or Associated Tradesperson. A plumber is registered as restricted, plumber/gasfitter/drainlayer, or certifying.

Step two: do they hold a current licence?

This is the part that matters. Registration on its own is not authorisation to carry out restricted work. A plumber needs a current practising licence, and all licences and authorisations expire on 31 March each year. An electrician needs a practising licence renewed every two years, after completing a Board-approved competence programme. A physiotherapist cannot practise until their Annual Practising Certificate is issued.

So ask a specific question: "What is your registration number, and when does your current licence or certificate expire?" That produces a fact rather than an assurance.

When There Is No Register, What Replaces It

For the unregulated half of the list, you are substituting evidence for a licence. Five questions do most of the work, and none of them can be answered with enthusiasm — they all produce a document or a fact.

Can I see your public liability insurance certificate? Can you give me a written, itemised quote that says what is included and what is excluded? What is the specific method you will use on this job, and why? Can I have two references from jobs like this one, with phone numbers? What is your process if something goes wrong — does the job stop, and do you quote before proceeding?

A refusal to provide insurance evidence is a genuine warning sign, not an administrative inconvenience. So is unwillingness to put anything in writing, no fixed address, a price far below every other quote with no explanation of what has been left out, and pressure to pay a large deposit immediately.

The lowest quote is rarely the best value, because the cheapest quote is usually the one with the narrowest scope. Compare price against scope against credentials against timeframe. A quote may be given including or excluding GST, and a 15 per cent difference can be entirely an accounting difference rather than a price difference — confirm which basis each one uses. Agree a variation process in advance, so extra work found behind a wall gets signed off before it proceeds.

Questions You Might Have

Do I need to check a licence if the job is small?

For regulated work, yes — the licence is about who is legally allowed to do the task, not the size of it. Replacing a fitting still counts as prescribed electrical work and still needs certification. For unregulated work, a small job is where the insurance question matters least and the written quote matters most.

What if the tradesperson says they are registered but the register shows nothing?

Stop. Under the Fair Trading Act 1986 it is an offence to falsely represent that services are supplied by a person of a particular qualification or skill. Ask again, in writing, for the registration number. If it still does not check out, walk away and report it to the Commerce Commission.

Can a licence expire mid-job?

It can, and plumbers' licences expire on 31 March every year, which is exactly when plenty of work is booked. Check the expiry date when you get the quote, not on the day they arrive. If it lapses before the work finishes, ask who is supervising and whether the certification can still be issued.

What do I do if the work turns out to be faulty?

Give the trader a written chance to fix it first. This is the step people skip, and skipping it costs them the remedy. If they refuse, or do not succeed within a reasonable time, you can have it fixed elsewhere and recover reasonable costs, or cancel the contract.

Is there a time limit on making a claim?

Generally a Disputes Tribunal claim must be made within six years of the event that caused the dispute. Application fees run from $62 for claims under $2,000 up to $496 for the $30,001 to $60,000 band, and they are non-refundable. The Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law Centres can help you file.

What Matters Most

The credential check is not the paperwork before the real decision. It is the decision. Ninety seconds on a public register tells you something no reference, no review and no friendly manner can tell you — whether this person is currently allowed to do the work at all.

For regulated trades, ask for the registration number and the expiry date, then look both up. For everyone else, ask for the insurance certificate and the written quote, and treat a refusal as your answer. Neither question requires you to know anything about building, wiring or plumbing, which is the point.

Then give the trader a fair chance to put things right before you escalate. That single step is what keeps your rights intact if the job goes wrong.