Medicines Act 1981

Enforcement

75: Obstruction of officers

You could also call this:

"Don't stop or trick medicine inspectors from doing their job"

You commit an offence if you wilfully obstruct or hinder an officer doing their job under this Act. You do this if you stop them from doing their work or deceive them. You also obstruct an officer if you interfere with things they have seized. You are deemed to have obstructed an officer if you remove or alter things seized without permission. This includes removing marks or seals from samples taken under this Act, except if you are the owner or have permission. You must sell samples to officers if they ask for them, and you must give them information and assistance when they need it. You must not refuse to help an officer or give them false information when they ask for it. You must also let officers examine your records and books if they need to, as per section 63. You will be in trouble if you do not follow these rules.

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This page was last updated on 27 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM56073.

Topics:

Health and wellbeing > Public healthCrime and justice > Police and safety

74: Certificates of Director-General or Medical Officer of Health, or

"Official records of medicine information are accepted as true in court"

76: Penalty for false statement, or

"Lying to get a licence can lead to a fine or prison time"

Part 5Enforcement

75Obstruction of officers

Every person commits an offence against this Act who wilfully obstructs, hinders, resists, or deceives any officer in the execution of any powers conferred on that officer by or under this Act.
Without limiting subsection (1), every person shall be deemed to have obstructed an officer if—
except with the authority of an officer or under an order of a court, he removes, alters, or interferes in any way with any article seized or detained under this Act; or
except with the authority of an officer or of an analyst or under an order of a court, he erases, alters, opens, breaks, or removes any mark, seal, or fastening placed by an officer under this Act on any sample or part of a sample procured under this Act, other than a part of a sample or bottle or container left with the owner of the medicine from which the sample was taken or the person from whom the sample was procured; or
he refuses to sell to an officer, or to allow an officer to take, in the quantity that the officer reasonably requires as a sample, any medicine that appears to the officer to be intended for sale or to have been sold, or any advertising material or labelling material, that appears to the officer to be intended for use in connection with the sale of any article to which section 63 applies or to have been so used; or
he refuses or fails to give an officer any assistance that that officer may reasonably require him to give, or to give to an officer any information, or to produce or permit an officer to examine and make copies of and extracts from any books, documents, or other records, that that officer is expressly authorised by this Act to require to be given or produced or to examine or make, or may reasonably require to be given or produced or to examine or make, or when required to give any such information or to produce any such books, documents, or other records, knowingly makes any false statement in respect thereof.

Compare

1969 No 7 s 29
1979 No 27 s 59