Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017

Fire and Emergency New Zealand - Interpretation

7: Meaning of rendering safe

You could also call this:

"What 'rendering safe' means: taking action to protect people and the environment from harm"

Illustration for Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017

When you hear the term "rendering safe" in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017, it means taking actions to minimise harm to people, property, and the environment. You do this by containing or stabilising a hazardous substance to stop it spreading or reacting. This can also include transferring the substance to its owner or someone who can dispose of it safely. When a hazardous substance is involved, you might need to treat it to make it no longer hazardous or remove it from the site for destruction, disposal, or recycling. You can also destroy, dispose of, or recycle the substance as a last resort or if Fire and Emergency New Zealand thinks it's the best course of action. The goal is to keep people and the environment safe from harm. The same idea applies to other substance emergencies, where you take actions to minimise harm by containing, stabilising, or transferring the substance to someone who can handle it safely. You might need to remove the substance from the site or destroy, dispose of, or recycle it if necessary. The main aim is to protect people, property, and the environment from harm.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6888202.

This page was last updated on 2 December 2025 — View changes

6: Interpretation, or

"What special words mean in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017"

8: Continuation of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, or

"Fire and Emergency New Zealand keeps working as part of the government"

Part 1Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Interpretation

7Meaning of rendering safe

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, rendering safe,—
in relation to a hazardous substance emergency, includes 1 or more of the following actions to minimise harm to people, property, and the environment:
1. containing the hazardous substance to stop it spreading:
2. stabilising, neutralising, or absorbing the hazardous substance—
  1. to make the substance inert; and
  2. to prevent any further reactions involving the substance:
3. treating the hazardous substance so that the substance is no longer hazardous:
4. transferring the hazardous substance to the owner of the substance:
5. if the owner of the hazardous substance cannot readily be found, transferring the substance to—
  1. another authority with the means to dispose of the substance:
  2. any other person who, in the reasonable opinion of the authorised person, is technically competent to dispose of, or destroy, the substance:
6. removing the hazardous substance from the site of the emergency for destruction, disposal, or recycling:
7. as a matter of last resort, or if FENZ considers it to be the most appropriate course of action in the circumstances, destroying, disposing of, or recycling the hazardous substance:
in relation to any other substance emergency, includes 1 or more of the following actions to minimise harm to people, property, and the environment:
1. containing the substance, to stop it spreading:
2. stabilising, neutralising, or absorbing the substance—
  1. to make the substance inert; and
  2. to prevent any further reactions involving the substance:
3. transferring the substance to the owner of the substance:
4. if the owner of the substance cannot readily be found, transferring the substance to—
  1. another authority with the means to dispose of the substance:
  2. any other person who, in the reasonable opinion of the authorised person, is technically competent to dispose of, or destroy, the substance:
5. removing the substance from the site of the emergency for destruction, disposal, or recycling:
6. as a matter of last resort, or if FENZ considers it to be the most appropriate course of action in the circumstances, destroying, disposing of, or recycling the substance.