Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Weights and Measures Act 1987

Sale of goods by weight, measure, or number

17: Offence for purchaser to state incorrect weight, measure, or number

You could also call this:

“It's wrong to lie about how much you're buying”

If you buy things for your business and you’re the one who figures out how much stuff you’re buying (not the seller), you need to be careful. You can’t say you’re buying a different amount than what you actually got. This means if you’re buying things by weight, measure, or number, you have to tell the truth about how much you’re getting. If you don’t, you’re breaking the law.

This rule started on 1 April 1987 for most things. But for people buying meat carcasses or half-carcasses that were going to be sent to other countries, the rule began on 1 October 1987.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM102576.

Topics:
Money and consumer rights > Consumer protection Business > Fair trading
Previous

16A: Offence to supply weight, measure, or number not in accordance with stated quantity, or

"It's against the law to sell things with less inside than what the package says"

Next

18: Statement of true weight, etc, to be supplied to seller, or

"Sellers must get a note about how much you're buying"

Part 3 Sale of goods by weight, measure, or number

17Offence for purchaser to state incorrect weight, measure, or number

  1. Every person commits an offence who, in the course of that person's business, purchases any goods by weight or measure or number where the weight or measure or number of those goods—

  2. is determined by that person and not by the seller of those goods for the purposes of the purchase; and
    1. is not the true weight or measure or the correct number of those goods.

      1. This section, so far as it applies in respect of the purchase by weight of carcasses or half-carcasses of meat which, at the time of purchase, are intended for export, shall come into force on 1 October 1987, but shall otherwise come into force on 1 April 1987.