Annex 2 – Summary of New Zealand comparisons
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Law: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Amendment Act 2022
The Healthy Homes Standards became law in 2019. It includes minimum requirements for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught-stopping in rental properties.
In 2022, the timeframes were extended to address the impacts of COVID-19 on implementation, specifically the ongoing global supply chain and delivery issues, as well as the limited construction workforce.
Private rentals need to comply within 120 days (extended by 30 days) of any new or renewed tenancy on or after 1 July 2021, and must comply by 1 July 2025 (extended by a year).
Between 30 May 2022 and 29 May 2023, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Tenancy and Compliance Investigations team undertook 921 Healthy Homes Standards compliance checks. Breaches were found in over a third of cases (395), showing landlords were slow to comply.
Some landlords have said that they were frustrated by the May 2022 changes to the heating requirements, which resulted in those landlords who complied earlier installing heat pumps that were larger than ultimately required.
Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999
In 2014, the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 was amended to include a 5-year time limit on new learner and restricted car or motorcycle driver licences.
Towards the end of the period it became clear that many licence holders did not know that their licence would expire and, therefore, they would unknowingly be in breach of the law. As a result, a further two-year extension was added in 2019 for licences due to expire between 1 December 2019 and 1 December 2021.
Despite a public awareness campaign, it became clear there were other barriers preventing licence holders from progressing through the licensing system. In 2021, the time limit was extended to ten years. Waka Kotahi said this extension would have no benefit or impact on road safety; however, it would allow time for initiatives to be put in place to make licensing more accessible. It would also alleviate pressure on the driver licensing system which had a significant backlog on licence renewals due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place at that time.
Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018
In 2012, the government announced a ban on battery cages for layer hens with a 10-year phase-out period to allow the industry time to transition. The phased approach was intended to balance the welfare of layer hens with the time producers needed to move to other systems. It was thought that this longer period would reduce the impact on egg prices, allow for changes in the industry structure and maintain the stability of egg supply. The SPCA strongly opposed the long transitional period given the impact on animal welfare.
Despite the long 10-year extension, when the ban came into effect at the beginning of January 2023, there was a nationwide shortage of eggs and a sharp price increase. Rather than making the transition, some farmers had left the industry; others had left changes until late in the period (and, in some cases, they experienced a lengthy wait time to get the resource consent they needed to operate under the new standards).