You can check a plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer in a few minutes. Ask to see their practising licence and the expiry date, then search the public register run by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB).
This guide covers the licence types, what supervision means for you and which certificates to ask for. It is general information, not legal advice.
The quick check
The PGDB’s advice for consumers lists these steps before you use a licensed tradesperson:
- Ask to see their New Zealand practising licence and check the expiry date. They can show it on a phone app or as a physical licence.
- Check they are licensed for the specific work. Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are separate, so a licence for one does not cover the others.
- Ask whether they need supervision and who their supervisor is. Check the supervisor on the register too.
- Search their licence number on the PGDB public register.
The register search page offers licence number, name, suburb, town or city, postcode and licence type. The PGDB says the register shows a tradesperson’s name, contact details, registration and licence history, any conditions on their licence, who they supervise or are supervised by, and any disciplinary decisions. It does not publish registration numbers, so use the licence number.
All licences and authorisations (except gasfitting authorisations) expire on 31 March each year, according to the PGDB’s guide. So an expired licence in April is a real thing to look for.
Registration and licence types
The PGDB’s guide to registration and licence classes (PDF) makes a few distinctions.
Registration happens once, when a person qualifies in a trade (plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying). On its own it is not authorisation to do restricted work. The registration classes are restricted, plumber/gasfitter/drainlayer, and certifying.
A licence is the authorisation to do restricted work. The annual practising licence goes to registered tradespeople. Re-licensing each year needs continuing professional development.
Authorisations go to people who are not registered:
- Limited certificate holders are trainees enrolled in a New Zealand Certificate at Level 4. They need direct supervision within eye and earshot for the first 12 months.
- Exemption under supervision holders did not complete a qualification. They need direct supervision within earshot for the first 24 months.
- Gasfitting authorisations (Section 20) are a separate gasfitting exemption.
Certifying vs licensed
All people doing restricted work other than certifiers must work under supervision. That includes plumber/gasfitter/drainlayer, restricted and provisional licence holders, trainees and exempt people.
- Certifying. The highest class. The PGDB says certifying people are responsible for ensuring both their own work and the work of anyone they supervise is done competently, and for testing and verification.
- Plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer. Qualified and registered, and they usually work independently. A nominated certifying tradesperson is still ultimately responsible.
- Restricted. They completed a trade qualification but have not passed the Board’s licensing exam. They are registered and authorised.
Restricted and plumber/gasfitter/drainlayer licence holders must have an active certifying licence holder listed as their supervisor. They do not need direct presence supervision. The supervisor remains responsible.
Ask who is supervising any trainee on your job.
The PGDB’s homepage says applications for a self-certification endorsement for plumbing and drainlaying opened from 7 September 2026, for certifying plumbers and certifying drainlayers. If a tradie mentions it, ask them to explain what it means for inspections on your job, and see the PGDB self-certification page.
Gas certificates
The PGDB says a certifying gasfitter must provide a signed gasfitting certificate where gasfitting work was done at your property. It must come within 20 working days of the work being connected to the gas supply. The gasfitter must keep a copy for seven years.
The certificate can be called different things:
- an Energy Works Certificate under the Building Act 2004
- a Gasfitting Certificate of Compliance or a Gas Safety Certificate under the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations
Keep it somewhere safe. The PGDB says you may need it when you sell, for insurance, or because gas providers may ask for it before they supply gas or refill LPG bottles. The Board no longer holds gas certificates issued after 1 October 2013. If you cannot get a copy, you will have to pay a certifying gasfitter to check your installation and issue a certificate of verification.
For plumbing and drainlaying, the PGDB says work must comply with the Building Code. Where a building consent is needed, the council’s building inspector must check the work before a code compliance certificate can be issued. Ask your tradie whether your job needs a consent, and check with your council.
What you can do yourself
For plumbing, the PGDB says you can install appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, and replace or repair taps, ball cocks and plugs. You cannot do any work fixing or unfixing pipes, plumbing fixtures, traps, waste or soil pipes, vent pipes, overflow pipes or any pipe that supplies water.
For gas, you cannot install, alter or repair gas appliances, commission them, or work on appliances in vehicles, boats or fixed in buildings with bottled gas. You can work on portable gas appliances with the bottle attached, such as barbecues and heaters, though the Board strongly recommends a gasfitter.
Red flags
These are reasons to stop and check. None proves a problem on its own.
- No licence to show, or an expired one.
- The licence is for one trade, but the job is another (for example a plumbing licence for gasfitting).
- They cannot tell you who their supervisor is.
- No gas certificate after gas work.
- They tell you the work does not need a consent or a certificate without saying why.
If something goes wrong
Talk to the tradie first. The PGDB takes complaints and has a complaints and disciplinary process. It also publishes news of court cases against people doing plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying without a licence, which shows it does act on unlicensed work.
How GoodTradie helps
GoodTradie is a referral service, not a plumber. When you send us a plumbing job, we look the plumber up on the PGDB register before we book them, and we send you one tradie, not several. They give you their own quote and we check it against published NZ figures. That is a guide, not a guarantee. Gasfitters and drainlayers are on the same register, so you can check them yourself using the steps above. Type your job into the box at the top of the page.
Sources
- PGDB, Advice for consumers (page undated)
- PGDB, Search the register (page undated)
- PGDB, Public register
- PGDB, Understanding registration and licence classes (PDF, undated)
- PGDB, home page (self-certification notice, 2026)
Need a plumber? See how we find and check one, or type the job in the box at the top.