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How to Check if a NZ Professional Is Legitimate Before You Hire
Every year, New Zealanders lose money to unlicensed, uninsured, or outright fraudulent operators. The good news is that verifying a professional's legitimacy takes less than ten minutes and requires nothing more than a phone and an internet connection. This guide walks you through every check, in the order you should do them.
Why Verification Matters
The barrier to calling yourself a professional in New Zealand is low. For unregulated services, anyone can set up a website, create a Facebook page, and start taking bookings. Even in regulated trades, licences expire, insurance lapses, and people continue operating without either. The checks in this guide are not about being suspicious -- they are about protecting yourself the same way a professional would expect a client to.
| By the numbers Consumer Protection at MBIE receives thousands of complaints each year about trades and services in NZ. The most common issues are substandard workmanship, failure to complete work, and refusal to refund. The majority involve operators who were never properly verified before being hired. |
Check 1: Verify Their Licence on the Government Register
If the work you need requires a licence in New Zealand, this is your first and most important check. Do not take the professional's word for it -- look it up yourself.
| Trade | Where to verify |
| Electrician | ewrb.govt.nz -- search by name or registration number |
| Plumber / Gasfitter | pgdb.co.nz -- public register search |
| Builder (restricted work) | building.govt.nz -- Licensed Building Practitioner register |
| Architect | nzrab.org.nz -- registered architects register |
| Real estate agent | rea.govt.nz -- licensee register |
| Financial adviser | fma.govt.nz -- financial service providers register |
| Engineer | engineeringnz.org -- chartered members register |
What to check: confirm the name matches the person you are dealing with, the licence is current and not expired, and the licence covers the type of work you need. A plumber licensed for sanitary plumbing cannot legally carry out gasfitting work.
Check 2: Confirm Current Insurance
Licensing and insurance are separate requirements. A licensed professional with expired insurance has no protection for you if something goes wrong.
- Ask to see the actual certificate of insurance, not just verbal confirmation
- Check the expiry date -- insurance renewals are annual and can lapse
- Confirm the coverage type: public liability insurance for physical damage, professional indemnity for advice or design errors
- A policy limit of at least $1,000,000 is reasonable for most residential trade work
| What to do if they hesitate A legitimate professional carries their insurance certificate as standard documentation. If they cannot produce it within 24 hours or become evasive about it, treat this as a serious red flag. Do not proceed. |
Check 3: Verify GST Registration
In New Zealand, any business earning over $60,000 per year must be registered for GST. For an established operator doing regular trade work, this threshold is easily exceeded. Verifying GST registration takes 30 seconds.
1. Ask the professional for their GST registration number
2. Go to ird.govt.nz and search for registered businesses
3. Confirm the number is active and matches the business name they have given you
An unregistered operator is either very new to the business, working below scale, or operating outside the law. For significant work, any of these should prompt closer scrutiny.
Check 4: Read Reviews Carefully
Reviews are one of the most reliable indicators of a professional's real-world performance. But not all reviews are equal, and reading them well is a skill.
Where to look
- Find A Professional NZ profile reviews
- Google Business profile
- Facebook page reviews
- Trade association websites
What to look for
- Recency: prioritise reviews from the last 12 months over older ones. Standards change.
- Volume: a professional with 40 reviews is more reliably rated than one with 3
- Patterns: look for recurring themes in negative reviews, not just the star rating
- Specificity: genuine reviews usually mention specific details about the job. Vague five-star reviews can be fabricated.
- Responses: how a professional responds to negative reviews tells you a lot about how they handle problems
| Warning sign A profile with exclusively five-star reviews and no negative feedback across dozens of reviews can indicate review manipulation. Real professionals doing real work will occasionally receive a less-than-perfect review. Look for honesty in the review pattern, not just a high average. |
Check 5: Confirm Their Physical Presence
Legitimate businesses have a verifiable physical presence. This does not mean they need a shopfront, but it does mean they can be found and held accountable beyond a mobile number and a Facebook page.
- Ask for a business name and physical address, not just a name and phone number
- Search the Companies Office register at companiesoffice.govt.nz to confirm the business is registered
- Check that the address they give is real and not just a PO box for a business claiming to be local
- Confirm their vehicle and uniform match the business name they gave you
- Be cautious of businesses with no online presence beyond a single social media page
The Full Verification Checklist
| Check | How to do it |
| Licence or registration | Search government register by name or number |
| Insurance | Request certificate, check type and expiry date |
| GST registration | Verify at ird.govt.nz using their GST number |
| Reviews | Check Find A Professional NZ, Google, and Facebook for patterns |
| Physical presence | Companies Office register, real address, verifiable business name |
What to Do If Something Does Not Check Out
If any check raises a concern, do not proceed and do not feel pressured to. Here is how to handle it:
- If their licence is expired: tell them you will wait until it is renewed before proceeding
- If they cannot produce insurance: walk away
- If their GST number does not match: ask for an explanation in writing
- If reviews are suspiciously perfect or entirely absent: ask for references from recent clients instead
- If their business is not registered: ask why and get a satisfactory explanation before continuing
It is always better to take extra time finding the right person than to rush into hiring someone who cannot be verified. The few minutes you spend on these checks are the best insurance you have.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to verify a professional in NZ?
The five checks in this guide take 5 to 10 minutes in total. Licence verification takes about 2 minutes. Insurance review takes 2 minutes once you have the document. GST verification takes 30 seconds. Reading reviews takes 3 to 5 minutes. It is time very well spent.
What if the professional says their licence is in progress?
If the work requires a licence by law, an in-progress licence is not sufficient. They cannot legally carry out that work until the licence is granted. Do not proceed for regulated trades.
Is it rude to ask a professional for their insurance certificate?
No. It is standard practice and any professional who has been in business for more than a few months will expect it. It is no different from asking for a written quote. If a professional reacts badly to a reasonable verification request, that is itself a red flag.
Can I trust reviews on the professional's own website?
With caution. Reviews on a professional's own website are self-curated. Always supplement them with third-party platforms like Find A Professional NZ or Google where the professional cannot delete negative feedback.
Start with Professionals You Can Trust
Find A Professional NZ lists verified professionals across NZ with genuine, unfiltered reviews. Every profile gives you a starting point for your verification checks. Browse by trade and region to find someone near you.
| Find verified professionals at Find A Professional NZ findaprofessionalnz.co.nz |
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