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Electricity Act 1992

Powers and duties of electricity operators and other owners of electrical works

22: Protection of existing works

You could also call this:

“Electrical equipment on someone else's land stays there until removed”

If someone has legally placed electrical works on land they don’t own, they can keep those works there until they decide to remove them. This means that even if you own the land, you don’t automatically own the electrical works on it. The person who put the works there still owns them, and you can’t claim ownership just because they’re on your property.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM282452.

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"You can stay silent to avoid getting in trouble"

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22A: Owners of land not responsible for maintenance, or

"Landowners don't have to look after power lines on their property"

Part 3 Powers and duties of electricity operators and other owners of electrical works

22Protection of existing works

  1. Any existing works, lawfully fixed to or lawfully installed over or under any land that is not owned by the person that owns the works, shall continue to be fixed or installed until the owner of the works otherwise decides, and no person other than the owner of the works shall have any interest in any such works by reason only of having an interest in the land.

Compare
  • 1987 No 116 s 20
  • 1988 No 164 s 17