The ACC Futures Coalition Group is calling for the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 to be rescinded before its scheduled commencement on 1 April 2027, warning that the changes will weaken New Zealand’s health and safety system and increase harm—particularly in small businesses. The changes will also increase pressure on ACC, driving higher claim volumes and costs by removing basic protections from the very businesses that already experience the highest rates of harm.

The Amendment Act excludes businesses with fewer than 20 workers from key health and safety requirements. This change makes no sense. Around 75% of New Zealand businesses fall into this category, and ACC data consistently shows that small businesses experience disproportionately higher rates of injury and harm. Removing obligations from the very group most at risk helps no one.

If the goal is to improve health and safety performance—and to genuinely support small businesses that say they struggle with compliance—the solution is not to exempt them. The solution is to provide the regulations, guidance, and system architecture that should have been developed years ago.

What New Zealand Actually Needs

The ACC Futures Coalition Group urges Government and ACC to focus on evidence‑based system improvements that will deliver real benefits for workers and businesses:

• Invest properly in the regulator, enabling it to produce clear, accessible, sector‑specific guidance and enforce standards consistently.
• Require MBIE to finally progress long‑overdue regulations. New Zealand has seen no new health and safety regulations since 2016, and successive governments have repeatedly paused the Plant & Machinery Regulations, leaving businesses without the clarity and direction they need. It is time to stop delaying and get on with completing the regulatory framework that underpins safe work.
• Establish an industry‑led Health and Safety Commissioning Agency to fill a long‑standing gap in New Zealand’s health and safety architecture. New Zealand lacks a central, trusted mechanism to co‑ordinate harm‑reduction efforts and ensure investment reaches the organisations best placed to support their areas of work. With backbone support from the Commission, these groups would be able to deliver value efficiently and effectively to the businesses and workers they serve. A Commissioning Agency would provide the backbone the system has been missing — coordinating national harm‑reduction efforts, monitoring performance, and driving continuous learning and improvement. It would invest in organisations such as Safer Farms, CHASNZ, the Forest Industry Safety Council, ShopCare, and HASANZ, enabling them to support their areas of work effectively.
  ACC should act as a co‑investor by moving its injury‑prevention funding into the Commissioning Agency, replacing multiple fragmented contracts with a single investment and a unified set of system‑level outcomes.
• Strengthen the occupational licensing regime for health and safety professionals, giving businesses confidence that the advice they receive is competent, accredited, and trustworthy.

These changes would deliver far better outcomes for New Zealand businesses and workers than anything contained in the Amendment Act.

A Call to Act Now

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 is not yet in force. There is still time to prevent harm, avoid confusion, and restore coherence to New Zealand’s health and safety system.

Rescind the Act. Replace it with reforms that actually improve safety. New Zealand deserves better.