Close approach to power lines: two videos for infill developers
Close approach to power lines is stopping Auckland infill sites. Most developers do not see the trigger until a stop-work notice arrives.
We have made two short videos to help. They are a technical guide, made to inform designers, developers and builders. They do not replace an engineer’s assessment.
The videos
Part 1 covers the triggers for close approach, and when to get expert advice.
Part 2 explains the Table 2 rectangle between structures and overhead lines (Section 3), and the 4 m test for people near any live part (Section 9).
Why we made them
SANZ has worked with many developers caught by this. We have read NZECP34 closely and consulted on it. Most people building on small sites never will. It is complicated and a tad less than clear.
Since May 2026 we have asked Vector for clarity on how the code applies to terminal poles. Five months on, there is no substantive position.
Vector obtained two opinions from an independent expert it selected. We read both as consistent with these videos. Vector reads them differently. On 18 May 2026 Vector wrote that it “respectfully disagree[d]” with the approach WorkSafe and Energy Safety apply.
A site cannot build to an alternative interpretation. When the lines company reads the code one way and the regulators and experts read it another, the site stops. SANZ has tried to align, but we cannot.
Developers cannot work at Vector’s pace. SANZ cannot watch more developers get close approach distances wrong. Every week a site sits idle adds holding cost, and that cost goes into the price of a house.
Watch both videos before you design or build near a pole. Save them for reference: they will also be available as resources on the SANZ website, www.sanz.nz.
