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Weights and Measures Act 1987

Offences and penalties

32: Offences

You could also call this:

“Rules about pretending to be inspectors and using fake stamps or marks on weights and measures”

You commit an offence if you pretend to be an Inspector, trainee Inspector, or accredited person when you’re not one. It’s also an offence to stop an Inspector from doing their job or to make their job harder. You must do what an Inspector tells you to do under this Act.

You’re not allowed to make fake stamps or marks for weights, measures, or measuring tools. If you’re not an Inspector, trainee Inspector, or accredited person, you can’t have these stamps or marks, or use them on weights, measures, or measuring tools.

If you’re an accredited person, you can only stamp or give certificates for weights, measures, or measuring tools when the Act says you can. You’re not allowed to change or remove official stamps or marks on weights, measures, or measuring tools unless the Act says you can.

It’s against the law to change weights, measures, or measuring tools to make them give wrong measurements. You can’t use, sell, or rent out any weights, measures, or measuring tools that have fake marks or stamps, or that have been changed after they were officially stamped or marked.

You’re not allowed to make, sell, or rent out weights, measures, or measuring tools for trade if they’re not correct or don’t follow the rules in this Act. You can’t make stamped weights or measures bigger or smaller, or use, sell, or rent them out if they’ve been changed like this.

Lastly, you’re not allowed to take a stamp or mark from one weight, measure, or measuring tool and put it on another one.

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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=DLM102939.

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31: Liability of principal for acts of agents, etc, or

"You might be responsible if your workers break weight and measure rules"

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32A: Infringement offences, or

"What happens when you break weight and measure rules"

Part 6 Offences and penalties

32Offences

  1. Every person commits an offence who—

  2. not being an Inspector or trainee Inspector, pretends to be an Inspector or trainee Inspector; or
    1. not being an accredited person, pretends to be an accredited person; or
      1. refuses to allow any Inspector to exercise or prevents an Inspector from exercising any of that Inspector's powers under this Act; or
        1. obstructs or without reasonable excuse delays any Inspector in the exercise or attempted exercise of that Inspector's powers under this Act; or
          1. without lawful excuse fails or refuses to comply with any requirement of an Inspector under this Act; or
            1. forges or counterfeits any stamp or mark used for the stamping or marking of any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument under this Act; or
              1. not being an Inspector or a trainee Inspector or an accredited person,—
                1. has in that person's possession any stamp or mark, or anything that purports to be a stamp or mark, used for the stamping or marking of weights, measures, or weighing or measuring instruments under this Act; or
                  1. makes on any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument any impression purporting to be the impression of any stamp or mark used for the stamping or marking of weights, measures, or weighing or measuring instruments under this Act; or
                  2. being an accredited person, except as permitted by or under this Act, stamps with a mark of verification, or issues a certificate of accuracy in respect of, any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument; or
                    1. except as permitted by or under this Act, alters, defaces, or obliterates any stamp or mark lawfully impressed on any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument under this Act; or
                      1. alters or tampers with any stamped or marked weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument so as to cause it to weigh or measure falsely or unjustly; or
                        1. uses, sells, leases, or offers or exposes for sale or lease any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument that—
                          1. contains any forged or unauthorised mark or stamp; or
                            1. has been altered or tampered with after it has been stamped or marked under this Act; or
                            2. for the purposes of use for trade, makes, sells, or leases any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument that is incorrect or that does not comply with this Act or with any regulations made under this Act; or
                              1. without lawful excuse—
                                1. increases or diminishes any stamped weight or measure; or
                                  1. uses, sells, leases, or offers or exposes for sale or lease any stamped weight or measure that has been increased or diminished; or
                                  2. inserts in any weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument any stamp or mark that has been removed from any other weight, measure, or weighing or measuring instrument.

                                    Compare
                                    • 1925 No 26 s 33(1)
                                    • 1968 No 118 s 2
                                    • 1981 No 25 s 61(1)(a)–(c)
                                    Notes
                                    • Section 32(aa): inserted, on , by section 14(1) of the Weights and Measures Amendment Act 1991 (1991 No 9).
                                    • Section 32(f): amended, on , by section 14(2) of the Weights and Measures Amendment Act 1991 (1991 No 9).
                                    • Section 32(fa): inserted, on , by section 14(3) of the Weights and Measures Amendment Act 1991 (1991 No 9).
                                    • Section 32(i): amended, on , by section 139(1) of the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 62).
                                    • Section 32(j): amended, on , by section 139(2) of the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 62).
                                    • Section 32(k): replaced, on , by section 139(3) of the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 62).