To help consumers make informed decisions when buying and caring for goods, there are information standards in place requiring suppliers to disclose information.
There are currently seven consumer information standards that are set by regulation under the Fair Trading Act. To help consumers make informed decisions about the goods they are buying and how to care for them, you must disclose certain information about the goods you are offering to supply.
The seven consumer information standards relate to:
care labelling
clothing and footwear country of origin labelling
food country of origin labelling
Unit pricing for Grocery Products
fibre content labelling
water efficiency labelling
used motor vehicles.
The requirements in each consumer information standard are different depending on the type of product.
Consumer information regulations set consumer information standards that suppliers of goods must comply with. The regulations set out what type of goods are covered, what standard/s or parts of standard/s apply to New Zealand and any variations to those standard/s. Failure to comply with consumer information standards set by regulations breaches the Fair Trading Act and is illegal.
You are responsible for ensuring the goods you sell meet their consumer information standard.
New clothing, household fabrics and furnishings must have a label that gives consumers information about how to care for that type of good.
Providing this information to consumers helps them become aware of the method and cost of caring for textile goods when they are buying them. By following the care instructions the goods are less likely to be damaged or destroyed and more likely to last for a reasonable period of time.
The Unit Pricing Regulations have come into effect as of 31 August 2023. The Regulations require certain grocery retailers to display the unit price for goods clearly and legibly, at no less than 25% the size of the marked price. This applies to in store, online, and advertised prices.
Physical stores must comply with the regulations by 31 August 2024 and online stores must comply by 31 August 2025.
Not every grocery retailer is required to display a unit price. The Commission has developed guidelines for these regulations. These will support grocery retailers to understand the unit pricing obligations for regulated grocery products under the regulations.
Clothing or fabric products must have labels that list the fibres, and the percentages or amounts of the different fibres, in the product.
Providing this information helps to ensure consumers have accurate information about the fibre content of the clothing or textiles and can make sure the goods are correctly used and cared for.
All motor vehicle traders selling used motor vehicles must ensure every vehicle has an accurate and complete Consumer Information Notice (CIN) attached to it. If selling online, the CIN must be displayed by the advertisement for that vehicle.
Certain products must have water efficiency rating labels displayed next to them when being sold in New Zealand.
Having this information about a product's water consumption and efficiency means that consumers can make a more informed purchasing decision when buying products that use water.
