There’s been a significant wave of legislative change in the first half of 2026. With the general election on the horizon, we can expect more extended and urgent sittings in Parliament to push through as much legislative change as possible before the House rises on 24 September 2026.
What laws have changed recently?
Below is a summary of some of the key changes since our March 2026 newsletter. Please note that this isn’t a complete list of all law changes relevant to your organisation.
To get full clarity about legislative changes affecting your organisation, dial up the ‘clarity of change’ function in your ComplyWith Obligations Register. 
While you’re there, turn on law change notifications for yourself and remember that in the ComplyWith Admin module you can set up tailored law change notifications for anyone in your organisation who will benefit from being kept up to date about law changes relevant to their role.
Key changes for all sectors
- On 19 May 2026, the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Act 2026 updated the AML/CFT requirements for reporting entities.
- On 1 May 2026, a new privacy principle 3A about indirect collection came into force.
- On 1 April 2026, the following changes came into force:
- The Taxation (Budget Measures) Act 2025 increased the KiwiSaver compulsory employer contribution rate and default employee contribution rate from 3% to 3.5%.
- The minimum wage increased from $23.50 to $23.95 per hour (and from $18.80 to $19.16 per hour for starting-out workers and trainees).
- On 31 March 2026, some provisions of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2025–26, Compliance Simplification, and Remedial Measures) Act 2026 came into force.
Key changes for public sector organisations
- On 3 June 2026, the Public Service Amendment Act 2026 came into force.
- On 30 March 2026, the Code of Conduct for the Public Sector replaced the Standards of Integrity and Conduct.
Key changes for local government
- On 6 June 2026, the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Act 2026 removed the requirement for public notices to be published in the newspaper and increased the threshold for when members mustn't be concerned or interested in a contract.
- On 1 June 2026, the Local Government (Water Services) (Form of Funding Impact Statements) Regulations 2026 came into force.
Key changes for the electricity industry
- On 11 May 2026, the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Export Limits) Amendment 2026 introduced a default maximum export power threshold of 10kW for small-scale distributed generation, and standardised assessment methodologies for small and large-scale distributed generation.
- On 1 April 2026:
- Some provisions of the Electricity Industry Participation Code Amendment (Time-varying Pricing Requirements) 2025 came into force.
- The Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025 added a new Part 6B (Distributor pricing methodologies, information requirements and other requirements) to the Code.
- The Electricity Industry Participation Code (Injection Payment Requirements Amendment) Amendment 2026 came into force.
- The Electricity (Low Fixed Charge Tariff Option for Domestic Consumers) Regulations 2004 increased the maximum electricity distributor fixed charge to 90 cents a day and the maximum consumer low fixed charge tariff to $1.80 a day (excluding GST).
Key changes for landlords of residential tenancies
- On 16 April 2026, the Residential Tenancies (Managing Methamphetamine Contamination) Regulations 2026 introduced a process for identifying and managing methamphetamine contamination in residential tenancy premises.
Key changes for organisations with animals
- On 7 May 2026, the Resource Management (Stock Exclusion) Regulations were changed so that beef cattle and deer that are not intensively grazing no longer need to be excluded from natural wetlands that support threatened species.
Key changes for the early childhood sector
- On 20 April 2026, the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres Amendment Criteria 2025 came into force.
Key changes for organisations selling or supplying alcohol
- On 19 May 2026, the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment Regulations 2026 added digital identity credentials issued by accredited digital identity services to the list of approved evidence of age documents.
- On 3 April 2026, the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026 came into force, removing restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol at on-licensed premises on those public holidays.
What’s coming up?
Upcoming law changes include:
- On 29 June 2026, the Education (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Regulations 2026 come into force.
- On 30 June 2026, the following come into force:
- Some provisions of the Building and Construction Sector (Self-certification by Plumbers and Drainlayers) Amendment Act 2026
- Education (Exempt Micro-credentials for Enrolling International Students) Notice 2026
- Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan) Amendment Order 2026.
- On 1 July 2026, the following come into force:
- Regulatory Standards Act 2025
- Public Finance Amendment Act 2026
- Most sections of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Act 2026
- Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (Supervisor, Levy, and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2026
- Rates Rebate (Specified Amounts) Order 2026
- Gas (Levy of Industry Participants) Regulations 2026
- Notification of Levy Rates Under the Energy (Petrol, Engine Fuel, and Gas) Levy Regulations 2017 Notice 2026
- The remaining provisions of the Electricity Industry Participation Code Amendment (Time-varying Pricing Requirements) 2025
- Electricity Industry Participation Code (Frequency and Voltage Related Amendments) Amendment 2026
- Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connected Asset Commissioning, Testing and Information Standard) Amendment 2026.
- On 7 July 2026, the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers (Self-certification and Certificate of Compliance Information) Regulations 2026 come into force.
- On 1 August 2026, the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Minor Amendments) Amendment 2026 comes into force.
- On 3 September 2026, requirements in the Resource Management (Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes) Regulations 2010 will apply to water permits under which water is taken at a rate of 5 litres/second or more (but less than 10 litres/second).
