The wiring in a 1920s villa was never meant to run your life.
A full rewire is the biggest electrical job a house can have: multi-day, priced by size and access, and usually triggered by age, insurance pressure or a renovation that opened the walls. One Auckland firm publishes its 3-bedroom guide figure, which gives you a benchmark before the quotes arrive. Done well, it sets the house up for the next 50 years, including the switchboard, the EV charger and the heat pumps.
Is this your stream?
Pre-war or early cabling that has never been replaced, perished insulation, recurring faults across multiple rooms, an insurer demanding answers, or a renovation that is opening the walls anyway. That is rewire territory.
A single faulty circuit or a tired switchboard is a repair or a switchboard upgrade, not a rewire. Let an electrician sample the cabling before you sign up for the whole house.
What it costs in Auckland
The published Auckland guide
Neon Electrical publishes a full 3-bedroom house rewire at $10,000–$15,000+, noting accessibility, materials and the existing wiring's condition as the swing factors. Bigger villas and difficult access push past the top of the band.
The labour underneath
Neon's standard residential rate is $95+GST/hr, inside the Master Electricians Auckland average of $90–$105+GST; Grammar Electrical publishes $125+GST/hr after the first hour. Rewires are quoted as projects, but these rates are what the quote is built from.
The switchboard that comes with it
A rewire almost always includes a new board. Auckland switchboard pricing runs $1,000–$3,500 across published guides, so check whether your rewire quote includes it or lists it separately.
Auckland providers, compared
Six firms that rewire Auckland homes, grouped by what they are best at. Hover a row for the detail that matters.
Common mistakes
Assuming a rewire means every wall comes down: a good firm rewires through roof spaces and under floors where access allows. Access is one of the biggest price drivers, so walk the house with the electrician before the quote, not after.
Rewiring without the switchboard: a rewire almost always includes a new board, and Auckland pricing for the board alone runs $1,000–$3,500. Quote them together or expect the second invoice.
Skipping the pre-purchase wiring check on an old villa: insurers increasingly ask about wiring age before renewing cover on pre-war homes. A rewire quote before you buy beats a coverage surprise after.
Choosing the cheapest quote on an occupied house: dust sheets, daily power restoration and tidy cable routes are what separate a liveable rewire from a miserable one. Ask how the firm handles an occupied home, and what stays on each night.
Not collecting the certification: rewiring is prescribed electrical work. The licensed electrician must issue a Certificate of Compliance, and your insurer and future buyers will both want it.
Forgetting the data and future-proofing: walls are open once. Adding data points, EV charger capacity and heat pump circuits during a rewire costs a fraction of retrofitting them later.
FAQ
How much does a full rewire cost in Auckland?
Neon Electrical's published Auckland guide puts a full 3-bedroom house rewire at $10,000–$15,000+, depending on accessibility, material choices and the state of the existing wiring. Wellington's published equivalent (Weka Electrical) runs $10,000–$20,000, and Auckland's metro labour premium means larger villas push past the top of Neon's band.
How do I know if my house needs rewiring?
Age and symptoms: pre-war or early post-war cabling that has never been replaced, ceramic fuses, brittle or perished insulation, frequent tripping, discoloured outlets, or an insurer asking questions. A registered electrician can assess a sample of the cabling before you commit to anything.
How long does a rewire take?
A full rewire is typically a multi-day to two-week project depending on house size and access, often staged so power is restored each evening. Occupied homes take longer than empty ones. Your electrician should give a staged plan with the quote.
Can I stay in the house during a rewire?
Usually yes, with the power off during working hours and restored each night, but it is dusty and disruptive. Some households move out for the worst of it. Ask each quoting firm exactly how they handle occupied homes.
What paperwork comes with a rewire?
A Certificate of Compliance from the licensed electrician for the prescribed work, covering the new circuits and switchboard. Keep it with your house documents; insurers and buyers will ask. Arahia Electrical names the ECC as standard issue on its new circuit work, and the same applies to a full rewire.
Budget $10,000–$15,000+ for a 3-bedroom Auckland rewire per Neon's published guide, more for big villas and hard access, plus the switchboard if it is not already in the quote. Neon publishes the benchmark, The Conduction Company fixes the price upfront, LB Electric tells you honestly whether you need the full job, Grammar puts its hourly rates on paper, Excel covers occupied homes with 24/7 backup, and Arahia keeps South Auckland local. Collect the Certificate of Compliance at the end.