Warmer homes, no plastic bags: A handy guide to all the new NZ law changes

Monday, 1 July 2019

Do you know what changes will affect you this July? Here's a helpful guide.

From Monday, there will be no more single-use plastic bags. All Kiwi rentals should be well insulated, and 17-year-olds will be included in the youth justice system. These law changes are among the many taking place from July 1 2019. Here's a handy guide for everything you need to know.

RENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Kiwi renters are about to have warmer, drier and healthy homes.

More than 600,000 New Zealanders live in rented homes, and new standards aim to lift the conditions they live in.

From Monday, ceiling and underfloor insulation is compulsory in all New Zealand rental properties, where suitable. Properties must have insulation installed that meets the required 'R' value for your part of the country.

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Do you know all the changes in store for this July? These handy guide should help. (File photo)

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Is your ceiling and floor insulation up to code in your rental? (File photo)

The Greens are encouraging renters to dob in their slack landlords to the Tenancy Tribunal if they haven't properly insulated their properties.

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Consultation has finished on the Healthy Homes proposals.

It must comply with the regulations and be safely installed. Landlords who don't comply with the regulations could have to pay a penalty of up to $4000.

When the Healthy Homes Standards kick in, all rentals will need ceiling and underfloor heating which is at least 120mm thick.

All living rooms must have a fixed heater capable of bringing the room up to 18 degrees. Bathrooms and kitchens must have extractor fans, and all habitable rooms - bedrooms, living rooms - must have at least one window, door or skylight which opens to the outside.

The standards take effect from July 1 2021, and will include further requirements for insulation, heating, ventilation and drainage at different timeframes over the next few years.

They aim to increase the quality of rental homes and create minimum standards for heating, insulation, and ventilation, and address issues with moisture ingress and drainage and draught stopping.

GOODBYE PLASTIC BAGS

Single-use plastic bags had already been removed from major Kiwi supermarkets months ago. But from July 1, the bags are officially banned from all Kiwi stores.

The Waste Minimisation (Plastic Shopping Bags) Regulations 2018 came into force on Monday. From now on, retailers will no longer be able to sell or distribute any single-use plastic shopping bags.

Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage discusses plans to ban single-use plastic bags. (Video first published in December 2018)

Specifically, that means any plastic bag which has handles and is less than 70 microns thick, which is why you'll still see single use plastic bags in the fruit and vegetable section and other areas of supermarkets.

The regulations apply to all shops, not just supermarkets.

MORE PROTECTIONS FROM FAMILY VIOLENCE

The definition of psychological abuse has been expanded to include hurting house pets or other animals of importance to a person.

It also includes harassing behaviour like loitering near a person's home or work, and disrupting someone's healthcare.

New youth and family laws were implemented by Oranga Tamariki in July 2018. (First published July 1, 2019)

On July 1, the Family Violence Act 2018 replaces the Domestic Violence Act 1995.

As part of the family violence legislation changes, there are changes around protection orders.

A key difference is that a protected people agreeing to contact with someone who has been violent must give consent in writing or via text or email.

Consent cannot override special conditions, such as supervised childcare, and consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Anyone over the age of 16 can apply for a protection order without a representative, and all their children will be covered by the order, including any that aren't born yet.

ORANGA TAMARIKI LEGISLATION

Most 17-year-olds will now be included in the youth justice system, instead of the adult system.

Grant Bennett is the Chief Social Worker for Oranga Tamariki. (File photo)

It's the most significant change to New Zealand's youth justice system since 1989.

The law now acknowledges that 17-year-olds are still children and should not be treated as adult offenders.

Most 17-year-olds will now be under the Youth Justice system. (File photo)

In 2017, 254 17-year-olds were sent to prison, 241 in 2016 and 249 in 2015.

From July, Oranga Tamariki will also be legally required to improve and report on outcomes for Māori.

TRANSITION SUPPORT SERVICE

New National Care Standards came into force on Monday. As a result, for the first time, New Zealand's state care system has explicit legal standards around the experience children in care can expect to have, and the support that those looking after children in care can expect to receive.

In turn, carers now have clear expectations against which they will be legally held accountable for.

A new transitional service has been established this July. Announced in the Wellbeing Budget, it aims to support young people to transition successfully from care and youth justice into adulthood.

As part of these new changes, the age of children in care has been extended. Young people can now continue to live with a caregiver after they turn 18 - something they have not been able to do before.

The service will also provide supported accommodation places for young people who need a stepping stone to independent living.