Patch 2026.02
February 2026 update
Wages rise; some contractors lose employee status; rental meth testing changes; nurses and pharmacists prescribe more; eligible riders pay less ACC; jury-excuse age rises to 72.
- Minimum wages rise from April — Minimum hourly pay rises to $23.95 for adults and $19.16 for starting-out workers and trainees. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Some contractors excluded from employee rules — Specified contractors will not count as employees under the employment law definition. Starts 21 Feb 2026
- New process for meth-contaminated rentals — New rules set contamination levels and testing methods for methamphetamine in rental homes. Starts 16 Apr 2026
- More medicines can be prescribed by nurses — Designated nurses can prescribe several additional controlled drugs, while designated pharmacists can prescribe ketamine. Starts 26 Mar 2026
- Some motorcyclists get ACC levy discount — Eligible riders who completed Ride Forever Gold can get a 25% discount on their annual motorcycle levy. Starts 1 Jul 2026
- Jury excuse age rises to 72 — People aged 72 and over can be excused from jury service under the age-based rules. Starts 21 Feb 2026
- Export levy paperwork rules corrected — Export write-off requests will be treated as one export for the low-value goods export levy. Starts 31 Mar 2026
- Biosecurity import levies updated — The order changes biosecurity import and commercial vessel levies. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Late ACC levy interest gets new formula — Formulas will calculate interest on late ACC levies and levies paid through instalment plans. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Employer refunds use new ACC interest formula — Interest on refunded overpaid work account levies will use a new formula. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Strawberry growers face a new levy — Commercial strawberry growers must pay a levy to Strawberry Growers New Zealand Incorporated. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Walnut exports no longer need licensing — Walnuts will no longer need export licences under the horticulture export law. Starts 26 Mar 2026
- Avocado industry group is replaced — A different industry group becomes the recognised product group for avocados. Starts 26 Mar 2026
- Lower tax rate on some work loans — The interest rate used to calculate fringe benefit tax on employment-related loans falls from 6.29% to 5.77%. Starts 27 Feb 2026
- New rules for endangered-species trade — An order covering trade in endangered species comes into force. Starts 5 Mar 2026
- New court process for naming defendants — Complainants get a court process to seek permission to publish a defendant’s identity in certain cases. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- High Court legal-cost recovery rates rise — Daily amounts used to recover represented parties’ High Court costs rise by about 37.8%. Starts 1 May 2026
- District Court legal-cost rates rise — Daily amounts used to recover represented parties’ District Court costs rise by about 37.8%. Starts 1 May 2026
- New limits on some Family Court cases — The Family Court gets updated procedures for restricting some parties from continuing proceedings without a judge’s permission. Starts 26 Mar 2026
- Anzac Day honours wider military service — Anzac Day’s legal meaning now includes service connected with armed conflicts and related deaths. Starts 21 Feb 2026
- Australian advisers can serve New Zealand clients — Some Australian financial advisers can advise New Zealand retail clients without a New Zealand licence, subject to conditions. Starts 15 Mar 2026
- More overseas accounts may be reported — Financial information about non-residents may be shared with Cameroon and Mongolia under automatic tax reporting rules. Starts 31 Mar 2026
- More drugs added to controlled lists — New drugs are added to controlled-drug lists, including levels that can trigger a presumption they are for supply. Starts Date to be set
- More people and entities face Russia sanctions — More individuals and entities are added to the Russia sanctions regime. Starts 20 Feb 2026
- New game-hunting licence fees and forms — New licence classes, fees, forms and habitat-stamp fees apply during the 2026–2027 game season. Starts 12 Mar 2026
- Immigration warrant forms are updated — Existing warrant forms can also be used for certain immigration release applications. Starts 27 Feb 2026
- Some investor visa holders can buy costly homes — Three investor visa types can enable residential land purchases above $5 million if the national interest test is met. Starts 6 Mar 2026
- New overseas investment pathway begins — A new national-interest pathway for overseas investment applications begins. Starts 6 Mar 2026
- Child offender monitoring rules updated — Government agencies will receive information to monitor risks from child sex offenders, including after sentences end. Starts 1 May 2026
- Local elected members’ pay rules changed — Rules for local government elected members for 2025/26 are changed. Starts 12 Oct 2025
- Technology institute comes under Ombudsman oversight — The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology Limited is added to the organisations covered by the Ombudsmen Act. Starts 20 Mar 2026
- Technology institute becomes a Crown entity — The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology Limited is added to the list of Crown entity companies. Starts 20 Mar 2026
- New ministry replaces two old ministries — The new ministry comes under Ombudsman and official-information rules as old ministry names are removed later. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Infrastructure oversight moves to new ministry — The new ministry takes over monitoring and recommending roles for infrastructure funding and financing. Starts 1 Jul 2026
- Social housing roles move between ministries — Social housing responsibilities are assigned between the new ministry and the Ministry of Social Development. Starts 1 Jul 2026
- Whistleblowing contacts change for some concerns — The new ministry replaces several agencies as the appropriate authority for protected disclosures about specified concerns. Starts 1 Jul 2026
- New ministry joins the Public Service — The new ministry becomes a public service agency, while the old ministries are removed from the Public Service list. Starts 1 Apr 2026
- Ngāti Hāua historical claims settled — The law records the Crown’s apology and gives effect to the settlement of Ngāti Hāua’s historical claims. Starts 10 Feb 2026
- Primary and secondary education notice issued — A notice titled Domestic Student: Primary and Secondary Education is issued. Starts 15 Feb 2026
- Governor-General’s allowance increases — The Governor-General’s tax-exempt allowance rises to $41,745 a year. Starts 1 Oct 2025