New zealand Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in new zealand, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

Standards New Zealand, a business unit within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is New Zealand’s leading developer of standards and standard-based solutions.  It covers a wide variety of subjects, including design, safety, specifications, performance, and quality of products.  Adoption of these standards is generally voluntary but can be made compulsory through statutory reference.  Compliance with these Standards can be an important factor in sales promotion and production certification (“S” Mark).  New Zealand operates under the metric system of weights and measures.  Standards New Zealand use the identifier NZS, while joint Australian and New Zealand Standards use the identifier AS/NZS. Standards New Zealand is receptive to industry experts volunteering to help develop standards.  It is the New Zealand member of the International Organization for Standardization.

Standards

Standards New Zealand recognizes international standards from organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) .  According to New Zealand’s Standards and Accreditation Act, international standards must be considered first before determining if a New Zealand-specific standard is necessary.  Additionally, Standards New Zealand acknowledges regional and joint standards developed by member organizations within a particular region, such as European Union standards or joint Australian/New Zealand standards.


Testing, Inspection and Certification

New Zealand’s product compliance regulations prioritize safety across all sectors:

  • Electrical Products: Importers and suppliers must ensure products meet basic safety requirements. Testing can be conducted in local labs or in countries with whom New Zealand has an Electrical and Electronic Mutual Recognition Agreement.
     
  • Energy Efficiency: The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority oversees energy use in electrical products and appliances, including motor vehicles.
     
  • Building Products: Compliance is regulated under New Zealand’s Building Code, managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
     
  • Therapeutic Products: Medsafe New Zealand oversees regulation of therapeutic products.
     
  • Food Safety: The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code governs food safety, focusing on reducing foodborne illness and ensuring traceability across the supply chain.
     

Publication of Technical Regulations

There is no national gazette in New Zealand recording technical regulations across all sectors.  U.S. companies can remain updated on new regulations/policy changes through Government sources and industry bodies or work directly with the U.S. Commercial Service in New Zealand.

Contact Information

Standards New Zealand is the leading developer of standards and standards-related solutions.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) develops food standards for food available in both countries.

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures 

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures  The ePing platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing,” provides access to notifications made by WTO Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995, to the present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts.  Users can browse notifications on draft and updated product regulations and food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations.  It also provides information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, offers information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and features current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest.

Notify U.S. (Notification and Information Distribution System for United States Stakeholders), operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003, was designed to distribute and provide access to notifications and associated draft texts under the WTO and TBT Agreement.  This tool serves as a centralized platform for U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, standards development organizations, conformity assessment bodies, consumers, and government agencies, to monitor, review, and comment on proposed foreign regulations that could impact trade.  Notify U.S. streamlines the notification process by providing alerts to users about new notifications from WTO member countries.  Stakeholders can then submit their comments through the platform to the U.S. TBT Enquiry Point for consideration and potential forwarding to the WTO. The tool plays a critical role in ensuring transparency and participation in the development of international standards and regulations. 

Under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member is required to operate a national TBT and SPS Enquiry Point.  These Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are independent of the WTO and its Secretariat. All comments from U.S. stakeholders—including businesses, trade associations, U.S.-based standards development organizations, conformity assessment bodies, consumers, and U.S. government agencies—regarding notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point.  For further guidance, refer to https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm.