New Zealand - GHS Status

GHS implementation status

Transport of dangerous goods

Implemented

For international transport of dangerous goods, see “Implementation through international legal instruments, recommendations, codes and guidelines”

Land transport of dangerous goods is regulated in New Zealand through the Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005, as amended. The rule entered into force on 27 June 2005 and is based on the 16^th revised edition of the UN Model Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods.

Technical information for compliance with the Rule is giving in New Zealand Standard 5433:2012 “Transport of dangerous goods on land”.

Other sectors:

Implemented

Legislation applicable to all (new and existing) hazardous substances since 1 July 2006.

The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 and related legislative instruments control the import and manufacture (including classification and labelling) of chemicals that have hazardous properties. The hazardous properties are defined in accordance with GHS criteria, including physical hazards, human health hazards and environmental hazards. All sectors including industrial chemicals, consumer products, and agricultural and veterinary chemical products are covered.

On 15 October 2020, the governing body at the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) signed a new legislative instrument adopting, by incorporation by reference, the 7^th revised edition of the GHS (GHS Rev.7). The new instrument (Hazard Communication Notice “Hazardous Substances (Hazard Classification) Notice 2020) took effect on 30 April 2021, thus becoming the new hazard classification framework replacing the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 and related regulations that were in force since 2001.

Further details on the hazard classes and categories adopted may be found at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) website.

The new Hazard Classification Notice has also allowed alignment of the Hazardous Substances (Labelling) Notice 2017 and the Hazardous Substances (Safety Data Sheets) Notice 2017 with the 7th revised edition of the GHS (these notices were originally based on the 5th revised edition of the GHS). Both of these updated notices also came into force on 30 April 2021, and provide a four-year transitional period to allow stakeholders to make the necessary changes to labels and safety data sheets resulting from updating to the provisions of the seventh revised edition of the GHS. A significant number of approvals for hazardous substances under the HSNO Act had also been updated in accordance with the classification criteria in the 7th revised edition of the GHS. Further information on this process can be found on the EPA’s website – Hazardous substance approvals.

EPA has several databases on its website that contain information on hazardous substances. Existing data on EPA’s hazardous substance databases are being migrated to the International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID). The process is expected to be completed during the final quarter of 2021.