Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Fair Trading Act 1986

Consumer information

28: Compliance with consumer information standards

You could also call this:

“Rules for giving customers the right information when selling things”

You need to follow consumer information standards when you sell or advertise goods or services. These standards are rules about what information you need to provide to customers.

If there’s a consumer information standard for the goods or services you’re selling or advertising, you must follow it. If there are two or more standards that apply, you only need to follow one of them.

These rules don’t apply to goods that are meant to be used outside of New Zealand. But to be exempt, you need to label the goods clearly. You can either write “for export only” on them or use special words that the government approves to show they’re for use outside New Zealand.

A label counts as being “on” the goods if it’s woven, impressed, or worked into the item itself. It also counts if it’s on the packaging, label, or anything else the goods come with.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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=DLM96961.

Topics:
Business > Fair trading
Money and consumer rights > Consumer protection
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27: Consumer information standards, or

“Rules about important information you should get when buying things or using services”

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28A: Regulations relating to disclosure by fund-raisers making requests for charitable purposes, or

“Rules for charity fund-raisers about sharing information when asking for money”

Part 2 Consumer information

28Compliance with consumer information standards

  1. If a consumer information standard in respect of goods or services relates to a matter specified in section 27(1A), a person must not supply, or offer to supply, or advertise to supply those goods or services unless that person complies with that consumer information standard.

  2. If 2 or more consumer information standards in respect of goods or services relate to a matter specified in section 27(1A), a person must not supply, or offer to supply, or advertise to supply those goods or services unless that person complies with one of those consumer information standards.

  3. Nothing in subsection (1) or subsection (2) applies to goods that are intended for use outside New Zealand if there is applied to the goods—

  4. a statement that the goods are for export only; or
    1. a statement indicating, by the use of words authorised by regulations made under this section, that the goods are intended to be used outside New Zealand,—
        1. and it must be presumed for the purposes of this section, unless the contrary is established, that the goods so identified are intended to be so used.

      1. For the purposes of subsection (3), a statement is deemed to be applied to goods if the statement is—

      2. woven in, impressed on, worked into, or annexed or affixed to the goods; or
        1. applied to a covering, label, reel, or thing in or with which the goods are supplied.

          Notes
          • Section 28: substituted, on , by section 3 of the Fair Trading Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 43).
          • Section 28(1): amended, on , by section 16 of the Fair Trading Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 143).
          • Section 28(2): amended, on , by section 16 of the Fair Trading Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 143).