Patch 2026.05

May 2026 update

This month, highways may close for safety; residential-care limits rise; Tenancy Tribunal and court fees increase; immigration appeals cost more; cameras and hunting areas change.

• State highways can close for safety — The transport agency can control traffic or close State highways when it considers this needed for public safety. Starts 19 May 2026
• Residential care asset limits increase — Higher asset thresholds may help more people qualify financially for a residential care subsidy. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Residential care gifting limits increase — People applying for residential care support can gift more without affecting their asset assessment. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Tenancy Tribunal fees rise — Fees for Tenancy Tribunal applications and copying or transcribing proceedings increase. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Approved road camera technology updated — A new radar camera version is approved, while approval for the previous version continues. Starts 30 Jun 2026
• Immigration appeal fees rise — The fee for certain immigration appeals to the tribunal rises from $943 to $964. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Family Court application fees rise — Fees for various Family Court applications about families, children and relationship property increase by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• New hunting area added in Hawke’s Bay — One new Hawke’s Bay area is added to the list of places where some wildlife may be hunted or killed. Starts 25 Jun 2026
• Small market companies get takeover exemption — Certain companies listed on the Catalist Public Market keep an exemption from one takeover rule for qualifying ownership changes. Starts 29 June 2026
• More people can test cattle and deer — Veterinary trainees under supervision and some veterinarians can carry out bovine tuberculosis tests on cattle or deer. Starts 30 June 2026
• Some customer data rights delayed — Banks have another year before they must let people act for a customer when authorising data requests. Starts 29 May 2026
• Some banking facilities left out — Certain facilities mainly used by large entities, plus ASB’s Online Share Trading facility, are excluded from these data rules. Starts 29 May 2026
• Some ACC levy interest can be waived — ACC can waive or repay interest on levy instalments in certain circumstances. Starts 1 July 2026
• New Hākinikini marine reserve created — A new marine reserve is created along about 8.5 kilometres of coastline and offshore near Hākinikini. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• New Ōkaihae marine reserve created — A new offshore marine reserve is created around Green Island. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• New Ōrau marine reserve created — A new marine reserve is created along about 17.7 kilometres of the Otago coastline and offshore. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• New Papanui marine reserve created — A new offshore marine reserve is created about 6.6 kilometres from Cape Saunders. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• New Waitaki marine reserve created — A new marine reserve is created along about 14.8 kilometres of coastline and offshore near the Waitaki River. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• SafetyNet gets public-purpose tax status — SafetyNet Critical Communications Limited gets a public-purpose tax exemption and can claim GST input credits. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• SafetyNet gets new financial powers — Financial powers under Crown-entity rules will apply to SafetyNet Critical Communications Limited. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Family Court electronic rules change — Rules for the Family Court’s electronic solution are changed. Starts 3 Aug 2026
• NetSafe remains approved online safety agency — NetSafe is appointed as the approved agency for harmful digital communications for two years. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Money-laundering oversight rules change — The law changes who oversees anti-money-laundering rules and sets up new strategies, work programmes, levies, and rules. Starts 1 July 2026
• Money-laundering definitions become clearer — The law changes definitions used in anti-money-laundering rules, including who counts as a beneficial owner and service provider. Starts 19 May 2026
• Southland farm-plan deadline extended — Southland farms have until 27 November 2027 to submit a freshwater farm plan for certification. Starts 26 May 2026
• Civil union fees are set — New fees apply to civil union matters from 18 June 2026, with later fee periods also specified. Starts 18 Jun 2026
• Marriage fees are set — New fees apply to marriage matters from 18 June 2026, with later fee periods also specified. Starts 18 Jun 2026
• Registration service fees are set — New fees apply to births, deaths, marriages and relationships registration services from 18 June 2026. Starts 18 Jun 2026
• Warner Bros added to streaming list — Warner Bros. Discovery is added to the list of specified commercial video-on-demand providers. Starts 1 Sep 2026
• Veteran medical-condition references updated — Veterans’ support rules update references for cataracts, hepatitis B and other listed medical conditions. Starts 2 Jul 2026
• Māori Land Court fees rise 2.25% — Fees for Māori Land Court proceedings rise by 2.25%, rounded to the nearest dollar. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Employment Court fees rise — Fees for Employment Court proceedings rise by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Tax dispute filing fee rises — The fee for filing a Taxation Review Authority claim rises from $552 to $564. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Charities appeal fee rises — The fee for a charity appeal rises from $180 to $184.35 before GST. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Unit-title dispute fees rise — Fees for referring unit-title disputes to mediation or adjudication rise from $250 to $256. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Environment Court fees rise — Fees for proceedings in the Environment Court rise by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Customs appeal fee rises — The fee for appealing to the Customs Appeal Authority rises from $552 to $564. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Occupation review fee rises — The fee for asking the Trans-Tasman Occupations Tribunal to review a decision rises from $622 to $636. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Vehicle dispute fee rises — The fee to start a Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal case rises from $75.65 to $77.39 before GST. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Copyright tribunal fee rises — The fee for applying for a Copyright Tribunal order rises from $240 to $245.22 before GST. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Supreme Court appeal fees rise — Fees for Supreme Court appeals rise by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Criminal judgment copying fee rises — The fee for copying a Supreme Court criminal appeal judgment rises from $34 to $35. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Dealer and pawnbroker fees rise — Applications for secondhand dealer, pawnbroker and related approval licences will cost more. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Some alcohol licensing fees rise — Fees for alcohol licensing appeals and register extracts will increase. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Real estate appeal fees rise — Fees for challenging some real estate licensing decisions will increase. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Prostitution operator certificate fees rise — Applications for, and replacement copies of, prostitution operator certificates will cost more. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Private security licence fees rise — Private security and investigator licences and approval certificates will cost more to issue, change or renew. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Lawyer complaint review fee rises — Applying for a review of a lawyer standards decision will cost $69 instead of $67. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Some lawyer tribunal fees rise — Several fees for lawyer and conveyancer disciplinary proceedings increase from $431 to $441. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• High Court civil fees rise — Fees for civil proceedings in the High Court increase by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• District Court civil fees rise — Fees for civil proceedings in the District Court increase by 2.25%. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• District Courts and High Court (Criminal Fees) Amendment Regulations 2026 —
• Filing a Tribunal claim costs more — Disputes Tribunal filing fees rise 2.25%, or 5.98% for claims seeking $30,001 or more. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Criminal appeal document copies cost $35 — Accessing or copying criminal appeal documents in the Court of Appeal costs $35 instead of $34. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Civil Court of Appeal fees rise — Fees for civil proceedings in the Court of Appeal increase by an inflation adjustment. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Gas industry levies change for 2026/27 — Gas industry participants face levies, including a 1.7058-cent wholesale levy per gigajoule. Starts 1 Jul 2026
• Space infrastructure applications need more information — Applications to operate certain ground-based space infrastructure must include specified information. Starts 29 Jul 2026
• Marine aquaculture environmental standards change — Environmental standards for marine aquaculture change. Starts 4 Jun 2026
• Commercial forestry environmental standards change — Environmental standards for commercial forestry change. Starts 4 Jun 2026
• More people and entities face Russia sanctions — The Russia sanctions regime now applies to additional named individuals and entities. Starts 7 May 2026
• Northland Polytechnic formally established — Northland Polytechnic is formally established as a polytechnic. Starts 1 Oct 2026
• Whitireia and WelTec formally established — Whitireia and WelTec Institute of Technology is formally established as a polytechnic. Starts 1 Oct 2026
• Western Institute formally established — Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki is formally established as a polytechnic. Starts 1 Oct 2026
• Water funding statements get new format — New rules set the format for local councils’ water-services funding impact statements. Starts 1 Jun 2026
• Ngāti Hei settlement becomes law — The law records the Crown’s acknowledgements and apology and gives effect to parts of Ngāti Hei’s settlement. Starts 19 May 2026
• Ngāti Tara Tokanui settlement becomes law — The law records the Crown’s acknowledgements and apology and gives effect to parts of Ngāti Tara Tokanui’s settlement. Starts 19 May 2026
• Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu settlement becomes law — The law records the Crown’s acknowledgements and apology and gives effect to parts of Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu’s settlement. Starts 19 May 2026
• Some council pay settings are updated — Council elected-member pay settings are updated to reflect committee and deputy-mayor changes in Bay of Plenty and Napier. Starts 27 Mar 2026
• Auckland transport governance changes — The law changes how Auckland Council and its transport organisation are organised and make decisions. Starts 7 May 2026
• The free-kindergarten association list is updated — The official list adds Canterbury Westland Kindergartens and renames Central North Island Kindergarten Trust as Central Kids Trust. Starts 8 May 2026