Outdoor lighting does three jobs: it lets you use the deck after dark, it stops people tripping on steps, and it makes your home a harder target. We design and install garden, deck, path, driveway and security lighting for Auckland homes, and wire it to switches, timers, sensors or an app.
Outside work is different from inside. Cables run underground or along exposed walls, fittings sit in the rain and salt air, and water and electricity do not mix. Everything we fit outside is rated for it and protected by an RCD. If you also want power for a spa, workshop or garden tools, see our outdoor and indoor power points.
Pricing: a free quote and a fixed price agreed before we start. You get a written, itemised quote, and small jobs can be quoted from photos.
Upgrading the lights inside the house? See LED lighting.
Plan the lighting by job, not by fitting
We start with how you use the space. A deck you eat on needs soft, low glare light at table height. Steps need light on the tread, not in your eyes. A driveway needs enough light to see a child or a bike when reversing. Security lighting needs to cover doors, side paths and the back of the garage.
Then we pick fittings for each job. Step lights and bollards for paths. Uplights on a tree or a feature wall. Wall lights on weatherboards. Festoon lighting over an outdoor dining area. Floodlights with sensors where you need a burst of light rather than a glow all night.
- Deck and step lights for safe footing
- Garden uplights and spotlights for trees and planting
- Path and driveway lighting
- Sensor floodlights for doors and side paths
- Festoon and feature lighting for entertaining
Weatherproof fittings for Auckland conditions
Every outdoor fitting carries an ingress protection (IP) rating that says how well it keeps out dust and water. Fittings under a covered deck can use a lower rating than ones in a garden bed that gets hosed, splashed and sprinkler-soaked. Fittings near the coast need corrosion-resistant bodies, because salt air eats cheap aluminium and fixings within a few seasons.
We match the rating and the material to where each light sits, and use proper weatherproof junctions, not taped joins in a garden bed. That is what stops the slow water ingress that causes outdoor lights to trip the power after the first heavy rain.
How It Works
Cabling, RCD protection and the paperwork
New outdoor lighting circuits are fixed wiring work, so WorkSafe says they come with a Certificate of Compliance. Under the current wiring rules, new and altered domestic circuits need RCD protection, and outside is where it matters most: an RCD cuts the supply if current leaks to earth through water or a damaged cable.
Cables to garden lights are either run in conduit underground or clipped along structures in protected routes. We mark where they go, so a future fence post or vegetable garden does not find them first. If your lights keep tripping the power now, that is usually water in a fitting or a damaged underground cable, and it is a job for our electrical repairs team.
Sensors, timers and smart control
Consumer NZ recommends sensor-controlled automatic security lights as one of the simplest home security measures. A sensor light comes on when someone walks up the path and switches off again, so it uses little power and draws attention to movement.
For garden and feature lighting, a timer or a dusk-to-dawn photocell means you never have to remember to turn it on. Smart controllers let you group lights into scenes, such as dinner on the deck or arriving home, and change them from your phone. Gen Less points out that LEDs use far less electricity than older bulbs, which matters for lights that run for hours each night.
- Movement sensors on security floodlights
- Dusk-to-dawn photocells for path and driveway lights
- Timers for garden and feature lighting
- App control and scenes for decks and entertaining areas
Neighbours and night sky
Bright floodlights pointed over a fence cause more neighbour disputes than almost anything else we install. We aim lights down and inward, choose shielded fittings near boundaries, and set sensor ranges so a cat next door does not trigger them all night. Warmer colour temperatures also look better in a garden and are softer on the eye.
If you are in a newer subdivision, check whether your covenant or body corporate rules say anything about exterior lighting before we start. We can supply fitting specifications for an approval request.
Why Choose Cheeky's Electrical for Outdoor Lighting
Designed around how you use the space
We plan light for eating, walking, parking and security, not just a row of fittings.
Rated for where each light sits
Fittings and materials matched to covered decks, wet garden beds or salty coastal air.
Protected and certified
New outdoor circuits are RCD-protected and come with a Certificate of Compliance.
Cable routes recorded
We show you where underground cables run so future digging does not find them.
Outdoor Lighting FAQs
Do outdoor lights need an RCD?
New and altered domestic circuits need RCD protection under the current wiring rules, and outdoor lighting is where that protection matters most because of water.
Can I install garden lights myself?
Plug-in solar and low voltage kits are designed for DIY. Anything wired into your fixed 230 V supply is electrical work and should be done by a licensed electrician, who issues a CoC.
Why do my outside lights keep tripping the power?
Most often water has got into a fitting or junction, or an underground cable has been damaged. We trace the fault with proper testing and fix the cause.
Are sensor lights worth it?
Consumer NZ recommends sensor-controlled security lights as a simple security measure. They only come on when needed, so they also use little power.
Will lights near the beach corrode?
Cheap fittings do. Near the coast we use corrosion-resistant bodies and fixings and sealed connections.
Can outdoor lights be on a timer?
Yes. Timers, dusk-to-dawn photocells and app control can all be wired in, alone or together.
Outdoor Lighting Near You
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