Parliament resumed sitting at the end of January and has continued the trend of extended sessions. With the general election later this year, we expect this to continue as the Government moves to progress key reforms, including major changes to health and safety and resource management laws.
What laws have changed recently?
Below is a summary of some of the key changes since our December 2025 newsletter. Please note that this isn’t a complete list of all law changes relevant to your organisation.
To get full clarity about legislative changes affecting your organisation, dial up the ‘clarity of change’ function in your ComplyWith Obligations Register.
While you’re there, turn on law change notifications for yourself and remember that in the ComplyWith Admin module you can set up tailored law change notifications for anyone in your organisation who will benefit from being kept up to date about law changes relevant to their role.
Key changes for all sectors
- On 16 March 2026, the Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Act 2024 prohibited the sale of gift cards and vouchers with an expiry date of less than 3 years.
- On 21 February 2026, the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026 came into force. Changes included an income threshold for unjustified dismissal claims, a new ‘specified contractor’ test, and the removal of the 30-day rule for collective agreements.
- On 1 February 2026, further provisions of the Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2025 came into force, allowing employees to apply to Inland Revenue to remain on a 3% KiwiSaver contribution rate when the default rate increases to 3.5% on 1 April 2026.
- On 15 January 2026, the following came into force:
- Building and Construction (Small Stand-alone Dwellings) Amendment Act 2025
- Amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater, and a new National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units
- New National Policy Statements for Natural Hazards and Infrastructure
- Amendments to the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement and the National Policy Statements for Freshwater Management, Highly Productive Land, Electricity Networks Amendment, Indigenous Biodiversity, and Renewable Electricity Generation.
- On 1 January 2026, the Road User Charges (Exemption Period for Heavy Electric RUC Vehicles) Order 2025 extended the period during which road user charges aren’t payable for heavy electric RUC vehicles.
Key changes for local government
- On 27 February 2026, the Water Services Information Disclosure Determination 2026 introduced information disclosure obligations for regulated suppliers of water supply or wastewater services.
- On 26 February 2026, the Local Government Elected Members (2025/26) Amendment Determination 2026 came into force, with effect from 12 October 2025.
- On 1 January 2026, the Commerce (Levy on Suppliers of Regulated Goods and Services) Amendment Regulations 2025 introduced Commerce Commission levies for regulated suppliers of water supply services, wastewater services, or stormwater services.
- On 22 December 2025, the Local Government Elected Members (2025/26) Amendment Determination (No 2) 2025 came into force, with effect from 12 October 2025.
- On 19 December 2025, the Water Services (Wastewater Environmental Performance Standards) Regulations 2025 set standards that apply to the discharge of wastewater.
Key changes for the electricity industry
- On 1 March 2026, the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Emergency Reserve) Amendment 2026 came into force.
- On 20 February 2026, the Electricity Distribution Information Disclosure (Related Party Transaction Threshold) Amendment Determination 2026 came into force.
- On 1 January 2026, some provisions of the Electricity Distribution Information Disclosure (Targeted Review 2024) Amendment Determination 2024 came into force.
Key changes for the health sector
- On 26 March 2026, the Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs—Designated Prescriber Nurses and Designated Prescriber Pharmacists) Amendment Regulations 2026 came into force.
- On 1 February 2026, the following came into force:
- Medicines (Increasing the Period of Supply) Amendment Regulations 2025
- Restriction on the Supply of Dexamfetamine, Lisdexamfetamine, and Methylphenidate—Approval to Prescribe, Supply and Administer (Approval No. RI21900002-00).
- On 8 January 2026, the Health (Immunisation) Regulations Revocation Order 2025 revoked the Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995.
- On 19 December 2025:
- The Medicines (Restriction on Prescribing Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Analogues) Amendment Regulations 2025 came into force (but enforcement of the Regulations was suspended pending judicial review).
- The Medicines (Administration and Supply of Medicines in Approved Immunisation Programmes) Amendment Regulations 2025 came into force.
Key changes for the education sector
- On 23 February 2026, the Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Act 2025 came into force and established a new Director of Regulation role.
- On 19 January 2026, the following came into force:
- Qualification and Micro-credential Listing and Operational Rules 2026
- Consent to Assess Against Standards on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards Rules 2026
- Programme Approval, Recognition, and Accreditation Rules 2026
- Student Funds Trust Deposit Exemption Rules 2026
- Micro-credential Approval and Accreditation Rules 2026
- Private Training Establishment Rules 2026
- Quality Assurance of Tertiary Education Providers Rules 2026.
Key changes for organisations that operate drones
- On 22 December 2025, changes were made to Part 101 of the Civil Aviation Rules clarifying and updating requirements for the certification and operation of drones.
What’s coming up?
Upcoming law changes include:
- On 31 March 2026, the remaining provisions of the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Act 2025 come into force.
- On 30 March 2026, the Code of Conduct for the Public Sector will replace the Standards of Integrity and Conduct.
- On 1 April 2026, the following come into force:
- Minimum Wage Order 2026
- Further provisions of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024–25, Emergency Response, and Remedial Measures) Act 2025
- Further provisions of the Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2025
- Accident Compensation (Work Account Levies) Amendment Regulations 2026
- Accident Compensation (Interest Rates for Payment of Levies) Amendment Regulations 2026
- Electricity Industry Participation Code (Injection Payment Requirements Amendment) Amendment 2026
- Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025
- Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Related Amendments) Amendment 2026
- Some provisions of the Electricity Industry Participation Code Amendment (Time-varying Pricing Requirements) 2025
- Customs and Excise (Goods Management Levies) Order 2025
- Biosecurity (Import Levies and Commercial Vessel Levy) Order 2026.
- On 5 April 2026, the remaining provisions of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 come into force.
- On 16 April 2026, the Residential Tenancies (Managing Methamphetamine Contamination) Regulations 2026 come into force.
- On 20 April 2026, changes to the licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services come into force.
- On 1 May 2026, the following come into force:
- Part 1 of the Privacy Amendment Act 2025
- Energy Efficiency (Energy Using Products) Amendment Regulations 2025.
- On 1 June 2026, the following come into force:
- Electricity Industry Participation Code Amendment (Improving Consumer Access to their Electricity Information) 2025
- Further provisions of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2022–23, Platform Economy, and Remedial Matters) Act 2023.
