AS/NZS 3000
AS/NZS 3000 — the Wiring Rules — is the joint Australian and New Zealand electrical installation standard. It’s the “Wiring Rules” cited by every state and territory regulator across both countries.
What AS/NZS 3000 is
Published jointly by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand, AS/NZS 3000 covers low-voltage (less than 1000 V AC) electrical installations from the supply terminals to the final point of use. The current edition is AS/NZS 3000:2018, with amendments published since.
Companion standards in the same series — some of which WireSketch references implicitly:
- AS/NZS 3008.1 — selection of cables
- AS/NZS 3017 — verification (testing) procedures
- AS/NZS 3001 — relocatable installations (caravans, mobile homes)
- AS/NZS 3500 — hydraulic, used in cross-reference for bathroom zones
Where it applies
- Australia — all states and territories, adopted via state-level electrical safety legislation. Licensing varies by state (e.g. NSW requires Master Electrician registration for design work).
- New Zealand — adopted under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010; certification through EWRB-registered electrical workers.
Plumbing-electrical interaction in wet rooms references AS/NZS 3500 conventions; ensure cross-trade coordination during fit-out.
Key requirements
- Voltage / frequency — 230 V single-phase / 400 V three-phase, 50 Hz. WireSketch’s load calc uses 230 V nominal.
- RCD protection — 30 mA on all socket-outlet circuits, all lighting circuits (since 2018), bathroom circuits, and outdoor circuits.
- Cable type — TPS (Thermoplastic Sheathed, twin-and-earth flat cable) for residential fixed wiring; orange-circular for tougher applications.
- Bathroom zones — Zone 0/1/2/3 model that broadly tracks IEC 60364-7-701, with some local adaptations.
- Switchboard — main switch + RCBOs for combined overcurrent + earth-leakage protection; specific rules for sub-mains.
- Socket outlets — Type I (slanted three-pin), the AS/NZS 3112 plug pattern.
- Outdoor installations — IP54 minimum for accessible outdoor sockets, IP65/IP66 in exposed locations.
What WireSketch models from AS/NZS 3000
- Vertical and horizontal cable safe zones (15 cm vertical, 30 cm horizontal — AS/NZS clauses on safe wiring paths)
- Switch height (~120 cm) and socket height (~30 cm) defaults
- IEC 60364-7-701 / AS/NZS bathroom Zone 0/1/2 in wet-room mode
- TPS cable type as the default residential cable in recommendations
- RCBO main protection in the panel template
- Outdoor IP65 recommendation for exposed-location fixtures
- 230 V single-phase load calculation
Licensing matters in Australia and NZ. Electrical work is restricted to licensed electrical workers in every state, territory, and across NZ. WireSketch helps you plan and communicate; the actual installation, certification, and compliance verification must be done by a licensed practitioner.
What WireSketch doesn’t model
- State-specific licensing rules — NSW, Vic, Qld, etc. have different design-work requirements; not surfaced in the app.
- Bushfire-prone area requirements — AS 3959 derating, conduit material restrictions in BAL-FZ zones: not modelled.
- Cyclone-prone area additions — supplementary attachment / sealing rules for northern QLD, NT, WA — not modelled.
- Calculated maximum demand — AS/NZS 3000 Section 2.2 maximum-demand calculation for service sizing is not computed.
- Underground service rules — service trench, bedding sand, marker tape requirements — out of scope.
- NZ-specific deltas — small but real differences in some clauses; WireSketch implements the broadly shared AS/NZS baseline.
Practical tip
For an Australian or NZ homeowner planning a renovation: use WireSketch to capture the fixture layout, generate the Renovation Brief PDF, and hand it to your licensed electrical contractor for a Certificate of Compliance (NZ) or relevant state compliance document. For commercial or large-residential projects, the contractor will produce a full design package per AS/NZS 3000 — treat WireSketch as the conceptual rough-out.