Patch 2025.11
November 2025 update
Drug screening starts, stalking rules tighten, family payments rise, benefit reviews begin, immigration rules change, legal support expands, citizenship fees rise, and hormone prescribing is restricted.
- Roadside drug screening begins — Police can use roadside oral-fluid screening to detect and deter drug-impaired driving. Starts 15 Dec 2025
- New stalking and harassment rules begin — A repeated pattern causing likely fear or distress can count as stalking and harassment after two occasions within two years. Starts 26 May 2026
- Family and Best Start payments rise — Family tax credit, Best Start, and the minimum family tax credit threshold will increase from 1 April 2026. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Immigration enforcement rules change — Immigration rules change at different times for commitment warrants, deportation and electronic monitoring. Starts 28 Nov 2025
- Community law centres can receive more support — The government can contract community law centres to provide, fund or support community legal services. Starts 28 Nov 2025
- Some benefits will face regular reviews — MSD must review specified benefits for specified purposes within each 52-week period. Starts 2 Mar 2026
- Some hormone prescriptions are restricted — Prescribers cannot prescribe these medicines for gender incongruence or dysphoria, with an exception for people already prescribed them. Starts 19 Dec 2025
- Citizenship fees rise 19 percent — Citizenship application and other citizenship service fees will increase by 19 percent, with some fees excluding GST. Starts 21 Nov 2025
- Several business rules are updated — Changes include ACC consultation rules and anti-money-laundering requirements, among other legal updates. Starts 27 Nov 2025
- Vehicle importers’ emissions charges change — Vehicle importers’ clean-vehicle charges change, with lower rates from 1 January 2026. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- Foreign-interference crime rules are updated — The Crimes Act adds rules about who owes allegiance to New Zealand, including people in New Zealand and stated exceptions. Starts 27 Nov 2025
- Early childhood rules and oversight change — Early childhood education gets new regulation, licensing and information objectives for parents and providers. Starts 23 Feb 2026
- Armed forces work rules change — The rules change when armed forces may support public services or do civil staff work during an industrial dispute. Starts 27 Nov 2025
- Climate statement annual-report rule changes — An exemption notice changes how some climate-reporting entities include climate statements in annual reports. Starts 8 Dec 2025
- Levy rules change for regulated suppliers — Rules about levies on suppliers of regulated goods and services change. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- New Tairāwhiti navigation infringement fees — Infringement fees apply to offences under the Tairāwhiti Navigation Safety Bylaw 2024. Starts 25 Dec 2025
- Postal customs exemptions become narrower — Postal import and export exemptions will apply only to mail covered by the Universal Postal Convention. Starts 28 Nov 2025
- Customs goods levy rules begin — An order about customs and excise goods management levies takes effect. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- Lower tax rate for employment loans — The interest rate used for fringe benefit tax on employment-related loans falls from 6.67% to 6.29%. Starts 25 Dec 2025
- Tribunal leaders decide late reply requests — Tribunal chairs or deputy chairs, rather than the full Tribunal, will consider late reply applications. Starts 25 Dec 2025
- Company address-record rules change — Company rules add an alternative address option for some address information. Starts Date to be set
- New medicine approval route added — A new verification route can allow the sale, distribution and advertising of new medicines. Starts 19 Nov 2025
- Approved use of national student numbers expands — Specified users may use national student numbers to transfer student and tertiary research information for stated purposes. Starts 19 Nov 2025
- Time-of-use road charging framework starts — The law enables time-of-use charging schemes for motor vehicles in designated areas. Starts 18 Nov 2026
- Pepino virus reporting rules change — The CH2 strain of pepino mosaic virus no longer has to be reported, but all other strains still do. Starts 18 Dec 2025
- Some aviation rule breaches updated — Infringement offences are updated for gyrogliders, parasails, unmanned aircraft, kites, rockets, and research organisations. Starts 22 Dec 2025
- Petroleum reports due earlier — Petroleum permit holders must provide annual reports by 1 March instead of 31 March. Starts 18 Dec 2025
- Some fishing vessels lose monitoring duties — Vessels under 8 metres and certain other vessels will be excluded from electronic monitoring requirements. Starts 18 Dec 2025
- Some research tax deadlines extended — Some businesses with September balance dates get longer to apply for or vary research and development tax credit approvals. Starts 18 Dec 2025
- Wastewater standards regulations start — New regulations for wastewater environmental performance standards will apply. Starts 19 Dec 2025
- Business Investor visa levy corrected — The levy for a Business Investor work visa applicant is set at $1,060. Starts 21 Nov 2025
- Genesis takes over solar farm approval — Genesis Energy Limited becomes the authorised person for the Foxton Solar Farm project. Starts 21 Nov 2025
- Drug-test levels are set for drivers — The notice lists qualifying drugs and the levels that produce a positive oral-fluid test result. Starts 15 Dec 2025
- A roadside drug-testing device is approved — The approved device can screen for cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, and THC in oral fluid. Starts 15 Dec 2025
- Citrus growers face a new levy — A levy will apply to citrus fruit grown in New Zealand. Starts 24 Feb 2026
- Export products can include plastic straws — Single-use plastic straws may be sold as part of packaging for products intended for export. Starts 11 Dec 2025
- Tyre fee rules change for exports — Tyres exported with vehicles or aircraft are excluded from the fee, while some import exemptions and identification rules change. Starts 11 Dec 2025
- Building approvals can be used more flexibly — National building approvals no longer require buildings to be reproduced at least 10 times in two years. Starts 14 Dec 2025
- New procedures govern roadside drug tests — These rules set how roadside oral-fluid samples must be collected, handled, tested, transferred, and disposed of. Starts 15 Dec 2025
- Some UK pension advisers avoid New Zealand licensing — Certain UK advisers can advise New Zealanders about withdrawing UK pensions without holding a New Zealand licence. Starts 14 Nov 2025
- Another lab can test oral samples — A public health laboratory is approved to analyse oral fluid samples for land transport purposes. Starts 15 Dec 2025
- Border board’s official status changes — The Border Executive Board leaves the statutory list but continues as a Cabinet-mandated board. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- Border board changes government status — The Border Executive Board will no longer be an interdepartmental executive board, but will continue as a Cabinet-mandated board. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- Inquiry into Phillips children begins — A public inquiry will investigate the disappearance of the Phillips children, led by Justice Simon Moore, KC. Starts 28 Nov 2025
- Government regulation gets new oversight rules — The Act sets principles and review duties for proposed and existing regulation. Starts 1 Jan 2026
- Various parliamentary laws are changed — The Act changes and repeals various laws, with some changes starting later. Starts 13 Nov 2025
- Parliament’s operating rules are modernised — Rules for running Parliament, public money, staff and parliamentary security officers change. Starts 13 Nov 2025
- Ngāti Pāoa settlement takes legal effect — The Act records the Crown’s apology and gives effect to parts of Ngāti Pāoa’s historical claims settlement. Starts 13 Nov 2025