The Ministry for Regulation's July 2026 review recommends legalising plug-in solar in New Zealand. Here's what it says, and what happens next. Last updated: 30 July 2026

Plug-in solar is closer to being legal in New Zealand than it has ever been. The Ministry for Regulation is reviewing the rules, Energy Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed legalisation is underway, and both Labour and National have named plug-in solar in their 2026 election policies. Here is what it all means and what happens next.

One year ago, we started asking a simple question: Why can households overseas safely use plug-in solar systems, while New Zealand regulations still don’t provide a pathway for them? At the time, plug-in solar was barely part of the conversation in New Zealand. Most people had never heard of balcony solar systems or plug-and-play microinverters, despite hundreds of thousands of systems already operating safely overseas. Since then, we’ve spent countless hours researching: Int

Last updated: 20 October 2026 Short answer: not yet, but it’s coming. Plug-in solar is still illegal in New Zealand under a 2012 notice. In August 2026 the Government agreed to legalise it, and both major parties have committed to doing so. Our best estimate is that plug-in solar becomes legal sometime in 2027. We update this page every time something changes, so bookmark it. Plug-in solar in New Zealand: the timeline so far January 2012: A notice under the Electricity (Safet