EWRB Licence Verification
Self-certify your registration number, class and expiry to issue NZ certificates
In one sentence: enter your EWRB registration number (e.g. E263170), licence class and current practising licence expiry on the Settings page, tick the verified box, and WireWrite will stamp those details on every certificate you issue.
What is the EWRB?
The Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) is the New Zealand statutory body that registers and licenses electrical workers under the Electricity Act 1992 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010. It's administered by the Energy Safety branch of WorkSafe NZ.
Every electrician who issues a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) or Energy Safety Certificate (ESC) must be EWRB-registered and hold a current annual practising licence. The registration number, class and expiry date are required content on every certificate (regulation 73).
You can check anyone's EWRB registration at the public EWRB Public Register — customers use it to verify their electrician; companies use it during onboarding.
EWRB registration prefixes & licence classes
The letter prefix on an EWRB registration number indicates the licence class. The numeric portion is unique to the individual.
| Prefix | Class | Scope (summary) |
|---|---|---|
E | Electrician | The main practising licence — most CoC and ESC issuers hold this. |
EI | Electrical Inspector | Inspection of high-risk prescribed electrical work; can issue RoIs that an Electrician cannot. |
ES | Electrical Service Technician | Connect, disconnect and service fixed wired appliances. Cannot do general installation work. |
EA | Electrical Appliance Serviceperson | Servicing of portable / plug-in appliances. |
EM | Electrician Limited — Mains Parallel Generation | PV / battery storage / generators connecting in parallel with the supply. |
ET | Electrician Trainee | Work under supervision — cannot personally issue CoCs (the supervisor does). |
LT | Line Mechanic Trainee | Network / distribution work under supervision. |
Several other niche classes exist (Line Mechanic, Cable Jointer, etc.). Pick the class that matches your actual current practising licence card — the EWRB issues the licence card at renewal and the class on it is authoritative.
The renewal cycle
EWRB practising licences are issued for a 24-month period and must be renewed before expiry. Renewal requires:
- Payment of the EWRB renewal fee (current fee schedule on ewrb.govt.nz)
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours — for most classes, evidence of training over the licensing period
- Current First Aid certificate
- Confirmation of fitness to practise (no disqualifying convictions, health issues, etc.)
You cannot lawfully carry out or supervise prescribed electrical work without a current practising licence. Working while expired is a breach of the Electricity Act 1992 and is grounds for EWRB disciplinary action.
Entering your details in WireWrite
WireWrite uses a self-certify system — you enter your registration details yourself and tick the verified box to confirm they're accurate. No document upload is required.
Required details
- EWRB registration number — e.g. E263170, EI12345, ES45678. Must be unique across all WireWrite accounts (one number per person).
- Licence class — pick from Electrician, Electrical Inspector, Electrical Service Technician, etc. Must match the class on your current licence card.
- Expiry date — the date your current 24-month practising licence expires.
Steps
- 1Open Settings and find the EWRB Verification section.
- 2Enter your registration number, licence class, and expiry date.
- 3Tick the verified box to confirm the details are accurate.
- 4Click Save. You can now issue certificates with your EWRB details auto-stamped on every cert.
Duplicate check: The same registration number cannot be used by two WireWrite accounts. EWRB registration is per-person, so a duplicate normally indicates either a typo or someone else has claimed your number. Contact support if you hit this.
Expiry warnings
WireWrite monitors your licence expiry date and warns you before it lapses:
- •Yellow warning — less than 90 days until expiry. Renew with EWRB soon to avoid losing the ability to issue.
- •Red warning — licence has expired. You cannot issue new certificates until you renew with EWRB and update the expiry date in Settings. Existing drafts remain editable; previously-issued certificates are unaffected.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the EWRB?
The Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) is the New Zealand statutory body that registers and licenses electrical workers under the Electricity Act 1992 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010. It is administered by the Energy Safety branch of WorkSafe NZ. Every electrician who issues a Certificate of Compliance must be EWRB-registered and hold a current annual practising licence.
What do the EWRB registration prefixes mean?
The letter prefix on an EWRB registration number indicates the licence class: E = Electrician, EI = Electrical Inspector, ES = Electrical Service Technician, EA = Electrical Appliance Serviceperson, EM = Electrician Limited Mains Parallel Generation, ET = Electrician Trainee, LT = Line Mechanic Trainee. The numeric portion is unique to the individual. For example, E263170 is an Electrician with registration number 263170.
How often does an EWRB practising licence need renewing?
EWRB practising licences are issued for a 24-month period and must be renewed before expiry. Renewal requires payment of the EWRB fee and (for most classes) evidence of competency through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours and a current First Aid certificate. You cannot lawfully carry out or supervise prescribed electrical work without a current practising licence.
Can I verify someone else's EWRB registration?
Yes. The EWRB Public Register at ewrb.govt.nz/public-register lets anyone search by name or registration number and returns the licence class, expiry, registered scope and disciplinary status. Customers use it to verify their electrician; companies use it during onboarding.
What if my EWRB licence expires while drafts are in progress?
Drafts remain accessible — you can keep editing them — but you cannot issue (sign and finalise) a new certificate until you renew with EWRB and update the expiry date in WireWrite Settings. Existing issued certificates are unaffected; they remain valid as a record of work carried out under a valid licence at the time of issue.
Does WireWrite check my licence against the EWRB register?
No. WireWrite uses a self-certify system — you enter your registration number, licence class and expiry date yourself, then tick the verified declaration box. This is consistent with how the EWRB itself treats registration evidence on paper certificates. The duplicate-registration-number check prevents the same number being claimed by two different WireWrite accounts.