New Zealand Plug Guide: Do Australians Need an Adapter?

If you’re like me, a few days before any trip you’ll start digging through your junk drawers, in search of your old trusty travel adapter. There’s some good news if you’re heading across the ditch though to beautiful New Zealand: the New Zealand plug is the same plug you already own. This guide covers what New Zealand power plugs and sockets actually look like, the voltage, the one socket in the country your normal plug will not fit, and where to buy adapters and chargers if you do need them. 

What Plug Does New Zealand Use?

The New Zealand plug type is Type I, the same three-flat-pin plug you already have at home in Australia: two pins angled towards each other in an upside-down V for live and neutral, plus a straight vertical pin underneath for earth. 

Australia and New Zealand share one plug standard (AS/NZS 3112, the joint Australian and New Zealand standard), which makes a trip to New Zealand a bit easier on the packing front. 

Source: World Power Plugs

Our good old familiar plug turns up in a handful of other places as well, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Argentina and mainland China. Though beware, if you buy a Type I plug overseas, it might be physically compatible with an Aussie outlet, but electrically, it could be backwards. For example, Argentina reverses live and neutral, and plugs sold in China and Argentina do not always have the insulated pin sleeves that new Australian and New Zealand plugs require. 

New Zealand Plug vs Australian Plug

The same plug, same voltage and frequency, and the same unique switch beside the socket to turn it on and off. No need to buy anything! 

Do You Need a Travel Adapter for New Zealand?

Since the New Zealand and Australian power plugs are the same, Australians don’t need to buy a travel adapter for New Zealand. Our electronics work perfectly in their sockets. An adapter is the piece of gear that changes the shape of the plug, but it doesn’t touch the voltage.

Image sourced from Amazon.com

Do You Need a Travel Converter for New Zealand? 

No worries here either, Australians don’t need to bring a travel converter for New Zealand either. New Zealand's voltage is 230V at 50Hz nationwide, whether in the city or out in the bush. Australia runs on the same voltage, which is why nothing needs converting.

If you have an older Australian appliance stamped 240V, that is fine too; both countries sit inside the same tolerance band, and gear built for one works on the other. Frequency is 50Hz in both countries, so the motors in your electric shaver or travel clock keep proper time. 

If you’re coming from another country, then it’s another story. 

Image sourced from Amazon.com

What New Zealand Power Sockets Look Like

A New Zealand power outlet looks like an Australian one because it is an Australian one: a three-slot socket taking the angled live and neutral pins with the earth slot below, usually as a double outlet, and usually with a small rocker switch beside each socket.

 In some older motels and hotels you may also spot a small dedicated 110V outlet in the bathroom marked for shavers only. Make sure not to use those outlets for anything. 

The One Socket Your Plug Will Not Fit: Powered Campsites

If you’re planning on a campervan trip through New Zealand, Aussie plugs won’t fit into the power boxes at the New Zealand campsites. 

It’s the same in Australia; these aren’t household sockets, but a heavier weatherproof industrial-style outlet instead. Luckily, if you’re hiring a campervan or a motorhome, they’ll come with the correct heavy-duty lead in an exterior locker, and you plug the vehicle in rather than plugging your charger in. Inside the van the sockets are ordinary New Zealand Type I ones, so charge as normal once you are hooked up.

If you are in a tent on a powered site, you need a camping power lead, the kind with the campsite fitting on one end and a standard New Zealand outlet on the other. Any outdoor, camping or vehicle store in New Zealand sells them, and holiday park receptions often have them too. 

Also worth knowing: Department of Conservation campsites are mostly unpowered, so a night in one is a night on your power bank.

Types of Travel Adapters for New Zealand

Since you do not need a travel adapter or converter for New Zealand as an Australian, the useful question is which bit of power gear is actually worth packing. A couple of options that I would personally consider bringing on my next trip to New Zealand, whether you're having a city break in Auckland or a more extreme adventure in Queenstown. 

New Zealand Plug | Multi-Port Chargers

What it is: one plug, several USB-C and USB-A ports.

Why it matters here: New Zealand hotel rooms are like hotel rooms everywhere, which is to say short on accessible sockets. If you’re a couple or some friends travelling together each with a phone, headphones, maybe a camera, a single multi-port charger can charge several items at once off one socket. Just don’t forget extra cables. 

Best for: couples, families, and anyone who has fought over the one bedside outlet.

Image sourced from Amazon.com

New Zealand Plug | Power Banks

What it is: the one that actually gets used on the road and in the bush. 

Why it matters here: long driving days, all-day walks, unpowered campsites, and phones being hammered by maps and photos. Something in the 20,000mAh range gives most people two full phone charges.

Best for: every New Zealand trip, but especially South Island road trips and multi-day walks.

My pick for an Australian going to New Zealand is dead simple: take both. A  good multi-port charger and a power bank and your gear will be kept charged up nicely.

Where to Buy Adapters and Chargers in New Zealand

If you land and realise you have forgotten a charger, New Zealand is an easy place to fix it. Prices are broadly comparable to Australia, though airport retail carries the usual premium.

Staying Connected in New Zealand

Sorting power is half of it; the other half is data, and Australian phone providers will charge you exorbitant roaming fees in New Zealand. The cheaper option to stay connected is a New Zealand eSIM, activated before you fly so maps and everything else work the moment you step off the plane.

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