Keeping pace with changes to New Zealand Health and Safety law
New Zealand’s Health and Safety law is changing, with the continued reduction in the incidence of workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses being a key aim. Matt Barber, LEEA’s Director of Membership, explains what members need to know.
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 is now law. It is the most significant change to New Zealand’s workplace health and safety framework since the 2015 Act, and it comes into force on 1 April 2027. The key changes are:
- Critical risk comes first. The Act’s purpose and the main objective of WorkSafe (New Zealand’s primary work health and safety regulator) are being refocused on how businesses manage their critical risks.
- ‘Critical risk’ is now defined in law.
- Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) carry more weight. If you follow an ACOP for a specific risk, you are deemed to have met your duty for that risk.
- Industry groups can now also draft ACOPs and submit them to the regulator.
- A new “small PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking)” definition, with duties clarified around critical risk.
- Clearer rules for officers and incident reporting. Officers’ due diligence duties are clarified, as are the serious injuries, illnesses and events that must be notified to the regulator.
In a sector where the consequences of failure are severe, the new definition of critical risk and the codes of practice we work to deserve a close read. The three things that LEEA members should do now are:
- Read the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) overview of the reform.
- Review how your business identifies and controls its critical risks.
- Watch for guidance. MBIE and the regulators are preparing material to help businesses get ready, and we will share it with members as it is published.
The amendments to New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act aim to reduce unnecessary compliance costs, increase certainty for businesses and organisations about what is required for compliance and, crucially, support continued reductions in the incidence of workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
The elimination of accidents, injuries and fatalities in lifting and height safety industries is LEEA’s vision, which we are making happen through our mission to educate, influence and enable so that best practice is everyday action. We are confident that our members in New Zealand will keep pace with these changes in health and safety laws, and continue to uphold LEEA’s gold standard.
Visit the MBIE website to read the full overview of New Zealand’s health and safety. reform.
