New Zealand Power Plug

New Zealand (as well as Australia, New Guinea, and several other countries) uses different power plugs to the rest of the world.

Seeing as I'm a kiwi (that's what us New Zealander's call ourselves), I decided to write this article about the good old NZ power plug.

Having travelled to many different countries myself, I know what it's like to set up in your destination, only to find that your electrical appliances won't fit into the wall socket!

New Zealand power outlets accept power plugs with two flat pins in a V-shape and a grounding pin. So it's three flat pins — one of which is an earthing pin (this is simply a safety measure). Some power plugs don't have the earthing pin but they still fit into the power outlets.

The pins on New Zealand power plugs look something like this:

New Zealand power plug adapters

If you plan to travel to New Zealand, you may need a power plug adapter if you plan to bring your own electrical appliance such as a hair dryer, shaver etc. If you are going to buy an adapter, be sure to get one with the earthing pin. New Zealand power plug adapters look something like this:

Voltage

New Zealand's electricity supply runs at 230/240 volts.

Most hotels and motels provide 110 volt ac sockets (rated at 20 watts), but this is only for electric razors.

Countries that use Plug Type I

New Zealand's power plug is known as Plug Type I.

Countries that use Plug Type I include:

• American Samoa
• Argentina
• Australia
• China
• Cook Islands
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tajikistan
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu

Some countries use several other plug types too. Voltages vary between these countries, however, most are between 220V and 240V (except for American Samoa).