Michael Chopping was a Board Member of Electrical Safety New Zealand for 22 years, including 20 years as Executive Director until stepping down in 2017. Michael has been a member of the New Zealand and Australia Electrical Standards committees since 1995 and was involved in introducing a number of safety procedures for electrical installations inspection and testing procedures.
He established his own electrical contracting business in 1972 and in 1994 offered to provide practical annual courses for registered electricians, technicians and service personnel. He produced a technical paper in 2008 on ‘Review of fluorescent light fittings in New Zealand during the last 40 years’, finding that older fluorescent light fittings now posed a serious fire risk if they had not been maintained. He was subsequently asked to investigate past electrical fires by insurance and electrical consulting companies. He was awarded a Meritorious Service Award by Standards New Zealand in 2006, and in the 2020 New Years Honours List, for services to the electrical industry was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
