Cafe, restaurant and shop fit-out electricians in Auckland
The Conduction Company does electrical fit-outs for cafes, restaurants, bakeries and shop fronts in Auckland. Completed fit-outs by The Conduction Company start from about $3,500 including GST, with a typical job about $9,600 including GST. The Conduction Company confirms final pricing after a property assessment.
Are You Experiencing Problems with a Cafe or Shop Fit-Out?
The biggest problems The Conduction Company sees are tenants who move in and find the building is single-phase when they needed three-phase, or that they have too many devices and not enough capacity on the circuit. A three-phase machine has been bought for a building with only single-phase power, a different oven is chosen after the cables are run to the original plan, and a kitchen is lit by small downlights where panel lights were needed. Cabling from an earlier fit-out has no capacity for the devices it feeds, nothing lights the shop front once you close, and the certificates for the council's final sign-off sit with several different trades.
The Conduction Company does the electrical side of cafe, restaurant, bakery and shop front fit-outs in Auckland, from the supply check before you sign the lease to the certificate of compliance and electrical safety certificate at handover.
The job runs from the supply check before you sign the lease, through three-phase kitchen power and lighting for the counter, seating and window, to the certificates at handover. Jordan Statham, a registered electrician and electrical inspector who owns The Conduction Company, gives cafe owners one piece of advice above the rest: call your electrician before you sign the lease. The Conduction Company works as a hospitality electrician alongside your shopfitter, builder and kitchen supplier. For offices and general retail tenancies, see The Conduction Company's page on commercial electrical fit-outs in Auckland.
What did the electrical side of a bakery fit-out involve?
A full electrical installation built around a commercial kitchen. The largest hospitality fit-out on The Conduction Company's records is Crafty Baker's new store in Oratia, West Auckland, wired in monthly stages over 35 site days in 2025.
The kitchen bakes at scale, so most of what it runs is high-draw heating equipment: a large three-phase oven, commercial three-phase range hoods, and gas cooktops. The first step was to find out exactly what equipment was going in. Then The Conduction Company sized the cabling and the power outlets to suit each machine.
The main switchboard sat in the seating area, so The Conduction Company installed a new sub-distribution board in the kitchen. "What we like to do is put all of the kitchen protection within the kitchen area, so that if a device trips off, the staff don't have to go through the seated area of the restaurant or cafe in order to switch it back on," Jordan Statham says.
The rest of the job, from The Conduction Company's job records: spotlights and track lighting for the cafe, pendant lights over the tables, LED panel lights in the kitchen, a separate switchboard for the back bar, power for the gas hot water heaters, and the wiring for the gas emergency stop and the range hood. The team ran the CCTV and alarm cabling at the same time, and left a provision for garden lighting in case the owners open the garden in the evenings later.
What does a cafe kitchen need electrically that a home kitchen doesn't?
A cafe kitchen that cooks usually needs three-phase power and far heavier circuits, The Conduction Company finds.
Commercial ovens and cooking machinery draw much higher currents than anything in a house. That means industrial-rated outlets and much thicker cables with more cores. Hot water may come from large gas heaters, which still need power, and the bathrooms get hand dryers. The Conduction Company also fits plenty of LED panel lights in a busy kitchen, because strong general light is a safety issue. The point, Jordan Statham says, is that kitchen staff are "not chopping with knives in the dark or gloomy kitchen".
Where the kitchen has gas, The Conduction Company wires the gas emergency stop and the solenoid valve that shuts the gas off. Where the gas burners rely on fans for the air they need, the gas is interlocked so it shuts off if those fans stop. The gasfitter installs and certifies the gas side, and The Conduction Company wires and certifies the electrical side.
What are the electrical requirements for a commercial kitchen in NZ?
The Conduction Company wires commercial kitchens to AS/NZS 3000, New Zealand's Wiring Rules, and three of its rules shape a cafe kitchen.
The supply comes first. Clause 1.6.3 requires the consumer mains, submains and other equipment to be designed and installed to meet the maximum demand, which is the most power the installation will draw. Next, the cooking surfaces. Clause 4.7.3 keeps socket-outlets and switches out of the area within 150 mm of the edge of an open gas or electric cooking surface, from the cooktop up to the range hood, cupboard or ceiling above it, or 2.5 m above the floor, whichever is lower. The third rule, on freestanding cooking appliances, sits with the outlets below.
How do you check the building's supply can carry a commercial kitchen?
The Conduction Company checks the main switch on site, then asks Vector what supply the building has.
That happens before anyone decides what equipment goes in. The team reads the rating of the main switch. Then The Conduction Company asks Vector, the lines company for most of Auckland, what the connection can supply, using its ICP number (the connection number on the power bill). Vector's capacity check confirms the phases and fuse size, usually in about two working days. A check for spare capacity on the street network uses a data logger and can take up to six weeks.
If the building is short of power, The Conduction Company sees two ways forward. One is to upgrade the supply. Vector charges a development contribution for the extra capacity, on top of the network work and any new cable, and Jordan Statham says the upgrade "can be enormously expensive, especially if we need to run new cables". The other is to go part gas. In The Conduction Company's experience, bottled gas for the high-powered hobs often saves the client more over time than a big supply upgrade or piping in natural gas. A gasfitter does the gas work.
If the switchboard itself is the limit, The Conduction Company handles that too, as a commercial switchboard upgrade to three-phase.
How are commercial kitchen electrical load calculations done?
The Conduction Company starts from the equipment list: every appliance, its rating, and whether it is single-phase or three-phase.
From that list it works out the maximum demand. AS/NZS 3000 clause 2.2.2 gives four ways to do it: calculation, assessment, measurement, or limitation by the circuit breakers. Assessment is allowed where equipment runs with fluctuating or intermittent loads or a set duty cycle, which fits a kitchen full of ovens and elements that cycle on and off. Measurement takes the highest demand sustained over 30 minutes, read by a maximum demand recorder. Limitation uses the ratings of the circuit breakers. Done before the lease is signed, The Conduction Company's calculation tells you whether the kitchen fits the supply.
What is commercial kitchen electrical diversity?
Diversity is the allowance for the fact that not everything runs flat out at once, The Conduction Company explains.
A cafe's ovens, hobs, dishwasher and coffee machine rarely all draw full power at the same moment, so the maximum demand is normally less than the sum of every nameplate. AS/NZS 3000 clause 2.2.2 lets the maximum demand take account of how the equipment is used and how the load varies. Clause 1.6.3 still requires the mains, submains and equipment to meet that maximum demand, so The Conduction Company sizes the allowance from your real equipment list, never a guess.
When should a cafe owner first call an electrician: before or after signing the lease?
Before, says The Conduction Company: at the planning stage, before any contract or lease is signed.
Even a rough idea of the kitchen equipment is enough. The Conduction Company does a full site assessment, works out the building's power capacity, and gives you a yes or no on whether the existing supply will handle it. "This can save a lot of money moving forward," Jordan Statham says. Where the existing supply falls short, he says, "it can be tens of thousands of dollars to get to the capacity that's actually required." Vector's spare-capacity check alone can take up to six weeks, which is another reason The Conduction Company says to start early.
What should a tenant check about the electrics before signing a lease?
Whether the building has enough capacity for your equipment, The Conduction Company says.
Know what equipment will go in the store, then have the supply assessed against it before you sign. The biggest problems The Conduction Company sees are tenants who move in and find the building is single-phase when they needed three-phase, or that they have too many devices and not enough capacity on the circuit.
Which appliances catch cafe owners out: coffee machines, ovens, or fridges?
Three-phase machines catch cafe owners out most, in The Conduction Company's experience. Fridges rarely do.
Fridges draw little power and are usually fine. Anything that makes heat costs much more to wire in, because it needs thicker cable. The real trap is the difference between three-phase and single-phase machines. The Conduction Company has seen cafe owners buy three-phase machines because they were a little cheaper, without knowing the building had only single-phase power. That leaves three bad options: return the machine, which has not always been possible; modify it to run on single-phase, which is sometimes impossible; or upgrade the supply to three-phase, which is expensive. "It really pays to reach out to the electrician first before placing an order," Jordan Statham says.
Which commercial kitchen electrical outlets does a cafe need?
One matched to each machine, which is why The Conduction Company asks for the equipment list first.
For an espresso machine that needs it, The Conduction Company's standard set-up is a dedicated single-phase 32 amp feed from the switchboard to a 32 amp switched socket, with a separate 20 amp feed for the grinder and other bench equipment. Three-phase kitchen equipment gets three-phase isolating plugs and isolators. In New Zealand only, AS/NZS 3000 clause 4.7.2 requires a freestanding cooking appliance to be connected by a socket-outlet or an installation coupler. The clause notes this need not apply to built-in hobs and ovens.
What does the electrical side of a small cafe fit-out usually cost?
It depends on the kitchen. The Conduction Company finds that where the food is made decides most of the cost.
A small cafe with one coffee machine, a single oven and a few display cabinets costs much less to fit out than a full kitchen. Where a caterer makes the food off site, the coffee machine is usually the biggest power draw. A cafe, bakery or restaurant that cooks in-house needs far more power, so its fit-out costs significantly more, in The Conduction Company's experience. Restaurant fit-out costs follow the same rule.
We quote on facts, not guesses
Before we give you a price, we carry out a proper assessment of your property and how you'll use your new cafe, restaurant or shop fit-out. That way you know exactly what you're buying and the total cost, with no surprises. Clear expectations from the outset, start to finish.
The estimates below are for standard installation of the electrical side of a cafe fit-out. The Conduction Company confirms final pricing after a property assessment.
Completed fit-outs by The Conduction Company start from about $3,500 including GST, with a typical job about $9,600 including GST. Those figures come from The Conduction Company's own completed Auckland fit-out projects.
For how Auckland electricians charge for commercial work by the hour, see The Conduction Company's guide to electrician costs in Auckland.
What pushes a fit-out's electrical cost up the most?
Plan changes after the wiring is in, says The Conduction Company.
Say the cables are run to the original plan, then a part is not available and the owner picks a different oven that needs a different supply. The wiring has to be redone, and that becomes a variation, which can push the cost out a long way. If the job sticks to the quote and the original plan, The Conduction Company's price stays at the quoted value. "Getting everything organised ahead of time, and all of the machinery purchased ahead of time so that we know that it's available, will certainly save people a lot of money in the long run," Jordan Statham says.
What electrical work does a shop front need, outside and in the window?
Illuminated signage outside and display lighting in the window, The Conduction Company recommends, lit even when you are closed.
If the cafe or shop has street frontage, a lit sign keeps it visible to people driving past at any hour. Jordan Statham calls it "free branding at all times of day". A sign seen at night "might jog someone's memory when they're driving home," he says, so they stop in for a coffee the next morning. Inside, The Conduction Company lights a good-looking display cabinet or central bench in the window through the night-time hours, so it draws the eye and makes the business more memorable.
How is lighting a cafe different from lighting a retail shop?
A retail shop wants broad, bright light everywhere, and a cafe wants targeted light, The Conduction Company says.
Retail lighting uses broad, wide-angle fittings and a high volume of light, so shoppers can see everything and the clothes in a clothing shop look bright and inviting. In a cafe, The Conduction Company puts targeted, narrow-beam lighting over the benches, cabinets and anywhere coffee or food is prepared. The seating areas get feature lighting, often pendant lights with shades that narrow the beam onto each table. A "lower level of light creates quite a bit of an ambience," Jordan Statham says, where a shop uses stark, bright lighting.
What do electricians find wrong in cafes someone else fitted out?
Undersized power and too little light, The Conduction Company finds.
The common faults are an insufficient power supply, and cabling run incorrectly or without the capacity for the devices it feeds. Lighting is the other. "We see this all the time, especially in kitchens," Jordan Statham says: small downlights where panel lights were needed, so there is not enough light to work comfortably or safely. His advice is to hire someone who has done shop front fit-outs before, "so that you get it right first time without having to complete rework after the fact."
How does the electrician fit around the builder, shopfitter and kitchen supplier?
Through one project manager and a shared group chat, which is The Conduction Company's usual set-up.
On most fit-outs, one project manager schedules the trades, often the shopfitter or fit-out company, and that is usually the smoother way. Some owners manage the trades themselves, which Jordan Statham calls "very brave", and The Conduction Company helps them with the timeline. A small shop front with no commercial kitchen is much easier to schedule than a large kitchen. An owner without commercial project experience may not know which trade comes when.
The Conduction Company likes to set up a WhatsApp group with every trade on the job. Everyone can see who is on site when, post information, ask questions, and look back through the thread later. Where a business next door is trading, or yours is, The Conduction Company can work nights and weekends.
What certificates does the owner get at the end, and who asks for them?
A certificate of compliance and an electrical safety certificate from The Conduction Company, plus certificates from the other trades.
Under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations, general electrical work, such as new circuits, is not complete until a certificate of compliance (CoC) is issued (regulation 65). The person who completed the work must also issue an electrical safety certificate (ESC) (regulation 74A). The Conduction Company usually issues both on one combined form.
The CoC goes to the person who contracted for the work. On a project-managed fit-out that may be the shopfitter, builder or project manager, not the cafe owner. The owner or occupier can ask for a copy, and so can the council, and it must be provided within 10 working days under regulation 74E of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations. So ask whoever engaged The Conduction Company for your copy.
The ESC is the certificate the council relies on. Regulation 74A makes it the certificate that confirms, under the Building Act 2004, that the electrical work complies with the Building Code. If your fit-out has a building consent, the application for the code compliance certificate (the council's final sign-off) must include the energy work certificates, which means the electrical and gas safety certificates (Building Act section 92). An electrical inspection is needed only for high-risk work (regulation 70). In a cafe that is usually mains work, the cables that feed the main switchboard, such as a supply upgrade.
Your gasfitter certifies the gas work separately, as WorkSafe requires. Your plumber issues a certificate only if the work is self-certified under the scheme that started on 7 July 2026. Otherwise the council inspects the plumbing.
If the fit-out needs emergency lighting, a designer specifies it and the council approves that design with the building consent. The Conduction Company installs it to the approved design, tests it, and signs the council's producer statement for the installation (a PS3) with an as-built plan. The designer or engineer usually provides their own construction review (a PS4), and the council uses both at the final sign-off. Producer statements are the council's condition for that consent, not a legal requirement in themselves: MBIE says they have "no particular status under the Building Act 2004".
Small cafes may not need emergency lighting at all. Guidance on Building Code clause F6 says that where the travel distance to an exit is under 20 metres, the exemption from emergency lighting may apply, though the exit still needs signs. The Conduction Company tells you which applies before you budget for it, and its exit and emergency lighting service covers the installation and the testing after it.
At the end, the project manager should gather every certificate into one file for the code compliance application. Jordan Statham calls it a dossier: certification from several companies, collected in one place, that The Conduction Company's ESC sits inside.
In short
The Conduction Company does the electrical side of cafe, restaurant, bakery and shop front fit-outs in Auckland. Call before you sign the lease, so the supply can be checked against your equipment list with Vector, because in Jordan Statham's experience an undersized supply can cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. Settle the machines, three-phase or single-phase, before the wiring starts, because plan changes are what push the cost up most. At handover you get a certificate of compliance and an electrical safety certificate, and for a consented fit-out the ESC is the one the council relies on.
How The Conduction Company runs a commercial job
Check the Supply Before the Lease
The Conduction Company reads the main switch rating, asks Vector what the connection can supply, and checks it against your equipment list before you sign the lease.
Plan and Quote
From your equipment list, The Conduction Company sizes the cables and outlets to each machine and quotes the job. If the job sticks to the quote and the original plan, the price stays at the quoted value.
Wire and Certify
The Conduction Company wires the kitchen, the lighting and the shop front alongside your shopfitter, builder and kitchen supplier, then issues a certificate of compliance and an electrical safety certificate at handover.
Frequently Asked Questions
What electrical work does a commercial kitchen fit-out need in NZ?
The Conduction Company's list for a cafe or bakery kitchen: a check that the supply can carry the kitchen, three-phase circuits and outlets sized to each machine, often a sub-board in the kitchen, bright LED panel lighting, and wiring for the gas emergency stop where there is gas. It ends with a certificate of compliance and an electrical safety certificate.
How much does the electrical side of a cafe fit-out cost?
It depends mostly on whether food is cooked on site. A small cafe with one coffee machine costs much less to wire than a full kitchen. Completed fit-outs by The Conduction Company start from about $3,500 including GST, with a typical job about $9,600 including GST. The Conduction Company confirms final pricing after a property assessment.
Do you need a certificate of compliance for a cafe fit-out?
Yes. Under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations, general electrical work is not complete until a certificate of compliance is issued, and an electrical safety certificate must also be issued. The Conduction Company issues both. The certificate of compliance goes to whoever contracted the work, which may be the shopfitter, and the owner can ask for a copy.
Can my building's power supply run a commercial kitchen?
Only a check will tell you. The Conduction Company reads the main switch rating and asks Vector what phases and fuse size the connection has, then compares that with your equipment list. If it falls short, the options are a supply upgrade or moving the high-powered hobs to bottled gas.
What does a shop front need electrically?
Power for an illuminated sign outside and display lighting in the window. The Conduction Company recommends keeping both lit at night, because a lit sign and window keep the business visible to people passing when it is closed.
What goes into a commercial kitchen electrical plan?
The equipment list comes first: every appliance, its rating, and whether it is single-phase or three-phase. From that, The Conduction Company sizes the cables and outlets, checks the maximum demand against the supply, and places the kitchen sub-board and lighting. Settle the equipment before wiring starts, because changes later cost the most.
Does a commercial kitchen fit-out need building consent?
That depends on the building work, and your designer or the council confirms it. Where a fit-out has a building consent, the council's final sign-off needs the energy work certificates, including The Conduction Company's electrical safety certificate, and any producer statements the consent asks for.
What is the best type of lighting for a retail shop?
Broad, wide-angle lighting with a high volume of light, so shoppers can see everything and products look bright and inviting, The Conduction Company says. A cafe is the opposite: targeted light over the benches and softer feature lighting over the tables.
Who is a good electrician for a cafe fit-out in Auckland?
Choose one who has done food fit-outs before and will check the supply before you sign the lease. The Conduction Company is a Master Electricians member, its owner Jordan Statham is a registered electrician and electrical inspector, and its largest hospitality job is Crafty Baker's new store in Oratia.
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Had a small job completed, tradesman was on time and completed the the work quickly. Communication was great especially around booking the work in and was kept up to date as to when they would be arriving.
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Such a good experience with The Conduction Company - they went above and beyond for us, managing to fit us in at short notice and doing a great job with the whole project, including the numerous parts we added. Really happy with these guys, will be using again for future projects
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Recent projects
Planning a cafe, restaurant or shop fit-out?
Talk to The Conduction Company before you sign the lease. Send us your equipment list and we'll check it against the building's supply. Happy to help. Call (09) 390 0525.