Have your say on the Right to Repair Bill
Public submissions close at 11:59pm Thursday 3rd April
Watch our 4 minute Bill explainer
Replay our Bill submission webinar
Deadline 11:59pm Thursday 3rd April ​
On February 19th 2025, the Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill passed its first reading and was referred to the Economic Development, Science, and Innovation Select Committee.​
The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill seeks to take us closer to a Right to Repair in New Zealand. It would change the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) to require manufacturers to make spare parts and repair information available to consumers and independent repairers.
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We need legislation because repair is usually difficult, expensive and often impossible.
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The significant majority of respondents in a nationally representative survey conducted by Repair Network Aotearoa in October 2024 agreed that repair saves money and extends the life of their possessions.
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The desire for repair legislation comes from frustration and how hard it is to repair stuff. Respondents commonly said they don’t know if a product is repairable or where to go to get things repaired. Many report limited access to local repair services and think professional repair is expensive.
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Reporting on their most recent experience with a broken electronic device, 77.5% of those products were not repaired. In 25% of responses, the device was taken to a professional repairer but the repair was either impossible or too expensive to complete, while 14.9% of respondents tried unsuccessfully to repair the device themselves.
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Repair Cafes are tackling the urgent repair issue in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Over the past four years, Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand (RCANZ) has spearheaded Repair Cafe growth, now supporting 75 affiliated groups.
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Textile repairs have the highest success rate, with an impressive 91% of items fixed. Electrical and electronic items pose a greater challenge - achieving only a 40% repair rate for small kitchen appliances, 34% for vacuum cleaners and 25% for toasters. Electrical and electronic items are difficult to repair due to a lack of spare parts, and product design making repair very time consuming.
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The environmental and social impact of Repair Cafes is substantial. Over the past two years, 19,220 items have been taken to 734 recorded Repair Café events. This has prevented an estimated 32 tonnes of waste from going to landfills and diverted approximately 206 tonnes of CO2 emissions, as well as saving people money.
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Repair Cafe success is only possible through the dedication of volunteers; however, they cannot fix the broader problem. We need Right to Repair legislation.
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Right to Repair legislation overseas is creating positive change.
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Australia enacted a narrow Right to Repair in 2022 with its Motor Vehicle Information Scheme. The Scheme requires manufacturers to share repair information, tools and parts with independent repairers. It makes access to local repairers easier and encourages competition that will drive down repair costs.
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In 2021, the UK implemented the “Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations”, which applies to washing machines, dishwashers and a few other electrical products. Manufacturers must make repair information and spare parts available for at least 10 years after a product is discontinued.
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The regulations have had practical results in the UK. For example, the Electrolux UK repair website has a step-by-step process to diagnose faults. Consumers can choose to find an expert repairer or get additional help to tackle the problem. Spare parts (from simple seals to complex control boards) can be identified and bought at a reasonable price from the Electrolux online store.
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In New Zealand, if your Electrolux appliance breaks down, the local support website lets you download its product manual or call or email a general consumer helpline. Clearly, without legislation compelling our local manufacturer representatives to support repair, we’re missing out.​
How would the proposed law work and what could it mean for you?
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This Bill would update the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (CGA). The purpose of the CGA is to protect consumers and their rights by setting out quality guarantees every business must provide. In the 31 years since the CGA was passed, products have become less repairable, and the Act has lacked the powers to prevent this.Â
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The Bill seeks to turn this around. Its main proposed changes focus on the essential ingredient for product repairability: the supply of repair information, necessary tools, and spare parts. The Bill would also close up some sneaky loopholes that get in the way of our right to repair the goods we own.
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What would it look like in real-life if the Bill became law?
Here are some examples of what the Bill seeks to do, and how this could affect you – in a good way!
Fully rebuilding a thriving repair culture in New Zealand requires tweaks to lots of areas of law, including copyright, IP and waste laws. This Bill focuses on consumer law; it’s one very important piece in the puzzle. If it passes, there will still be more work to do to guarantee our right to repair in NZ, but we’ll have ticked one key task off the list!
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The Right to Repair Aotearoa Coalition has some ideas for making this Bill even better. Enough of our MPs supported the Bill through its “First Reading” in Parliament. At Select Committee we’ll support it and suggest improvements through written and oral submissions.
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