Plug SolarNZ

When plug-in solar becomes legal

Expected around mid-2027, no date set. This is every dated step so far, each with its source, and what still has to happen.

Updated

The tracker has the short answer; this is the long one. Each row links to the document it comes from, and we only ever write a date once someone official has published it.

The steps left

  1. Review says legalise it 30 Jul 2026 Done
  2. Cabinet agrees 10 Aug 2026 Done
  3. Electricity Authority asks 8 Sep to 6 Oct 2026 Done
  4. Safety standard Being worked on, not published Under way
  5. Rules changed No date set Not yet
  6. First legal kit on sale Expected around mid-2027 Not yet
StepWhere it standsStatus
Review says legalise it30 Jul 2026The Ministry for Regulation's solar review recommends legalising plug-in solar by amending the 2012 notice and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations and developing a safety standard, within 9 to 12 months, "subject to the standard development processes being met". Ministry for Regulation.Done
Cabinet agrees10 Aug 2026Cabinet invites the Minister for Energy to make the regulation changes needed to enable plug-in solar. It sets no date. Ministers announce it on 17 August. Ministry for Regulation.Done
Electricity Authority asks8 Sep to 6 Oct 2026The Electricity Authority consults on how plug-in kits should fit the electricity rules: notifying lines companies, a register, payment for spare power. It asked questions rather than proposing rules. Submissions closed on 6 October; no decision yet. Electricity Authority.Done
Safety standardBeing worked on, not publishedThe Electricity Authority says it is working with MBIE, WorkSafe, EECA and Standards New Zealand on a standard for plug-in kits, looking at Germany's and the UK's, and that the public will be consulted before decisions. No draft has been published. Electricity Authority.Under way
Rules changedNo date setThe 2012 prohibition notice and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 are amended. This is the step that makes plugging a kit in legal. Nothing has been drafted publicly.Not yet
First legal kit on saleExpected around mid-2027Kits that meet the new rules go on sale. The review's 9 to 12 months from July 2026 points to around mid-2027; no minister or agency has given a date.Not yet

Everything so far

  1. Energy Safety gazettes a notice banning the manufacture, import, sale and use of inverters fitted with a lead and plug, calling them electrically unsafe. WorkSafe enforces it today. New Zealand Gazette.

  2. The Electricity (Safety) Regulations are updated to cite AS/NZS 4777.1:2024, the installation standard whose section 3.2.3 rules out three-pin plugs and sockets. legislation.govt.nz.

  3. The Minister for Regulation starts a review of the rules around installing solar. Ministry for Regulation.

  4. MBIE sends the Energy Minister a briefing called "Next steps on plug-in solar". MBIE.

  5. Labour announces SolarSaver: subsidies of up to $3,000 and a rule change so renters can use plug-in panels. Labour Party.

  6. The Greens' power plan includes legalising plug-in solar and a renters' right to solar. Green Party.

  7. The Ministry for Regulation publishes its solar review. Recommendation 15: "Legalise plug-in solar", within 9 to 12 months. Ministry for Regulation.

  8. Cabinet invites the Minister for Energy to make the regulation changes needed to enable plug-in solar, with no date set. Ministry for Regulation.

  9. Simeon Brown and David Seymour announce the government is prioritising the solar review: "If they're good enough for Germany and the UK, they're good enough for us." Beehive.

  10. The UK allows plug-in solar, with an 800 W limit on the inverter's output. legislation.gov.uk.

  11. The Electricity Authority opens a consultation on plug-in generation: whether lines companies should be told, whether a register is needed, and how spare power could be paid for. Electricity Authority.

  12. Australia's energy ministers agree to explore ways to allow plug-in devices safely. Australian Government.

  13. The Electricity Authority's consultation closes. Lines companies, retailers, installers and Rewiring Aotearoa have their say; the submissions are public. Electricity Authority.

  14. National promises plug-in panels "off the shelf" within six months if it is re-elected. National Party.

Dates already set

Why it takes months, not weeks

Nothing needs a new Act of Parliament. The 2012 notice and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations are secondary legislation, which ministers can change. The slow part is the safety standard: what a kit must do when the power goes off, how it protects the cable behind the plug, and how it suits New Zealand's earthing, which differs from Germany's. The review itself put the timing as 9 to 12 months "subject to the standard development processes being met" (the review), and the Electricity Authority says the public will be consulted first (its paper).

Want to know what a kit would save while you wait? Try the payback calculator.

Questions people ask

When will plug-in solar be legal in NZ?

Expected around mid-2027, no date set. The Ministry for Regulation's review said the rule changes could be made within 9 to 12 months of July 2026, subject to a safety standard being developed. Cabinet agreed to make them on 10 August 2026 but set no date.

Is plug-in solar legal in NZ now?

No. A 2012 prohibition notice bans the manufacture, import, sale and use of inverters fitted with a lead and plug, and it is still in force.

Will the election change it?

Every main party backs it. The government agreed to legalise it before the election, National promises kits on sale within six months of re-election, and Labour and the Greens promise it too. The election mostly decides whether there is a subsidy.

Will there be a watt limit?

None has been set. Germany and the UK limit kits to 800 W from the inverter, and the Electricity Authority says a similar limit "may or may not be applied in New Zealand".

Sources

  1. Improving the solar installation process: final report of the solar regulatory review, Ministry for Regulation, 30 July 2026.
  2. Cabinet minute CAB-26-MIN-0267 and paper (information release), Ministry for Regulation, 4 September 2026.
  3. Exploring plug-in generation: consultation and submissions, Electricity Authority, 8 September 2026.
  4. Exploring plug-in generation and Code improvements for export limits and connection processes: issues and consultation paper, Electricity Authority, 8 September 2026.
  5. Electricity Regulations (Prohibited Electrical Fittings - Inverters) Notice 2012, New Zealand Gazette, 12 January 2012.
  6. Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, legislation.govt.nz, 2 October 2026.
  7. Energy portfolio: list of ministerial documents (BRIEFING-REQ-0033105, Next steps on plug-in solar), MBIE.
  8. Labour to make power bills more affordable with SolarSaver, Labour Party, 8 July 2026.
  9. Green Party launches plan to cut power bills, Green Party, 20 July 2026.
  10. Government prioritises Solar Review, Beehive, 17 August 2026.
  11. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/848), legislation.gov.uk, 16 July 2026.
  12. Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council communique, 11 September 2026, Australian Government, 11 September 2026.
  13. Plug-in solar for Kiwi homes next year, National Party, 15 October 2026.
  14. Key dates for the 2026 General Election, Electoral Commission, 21 January 2026.