The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill

The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill has been drawn from the members bills ballot. This bill seeks to require manufacturers to make repair parts and information available to consumers to extend product lifetimes, keeping resources in circulation and reduce waste to landfill.

This bill focuses on making the following amendments to the Consumer Guarantees Act:

• A new section 12 which replaces the guarantee as to repairs and spare parts with a guarantee as to information, repairs and spare parts
• A new section 14(4) which means a guarantee is still valid if a consumer does not use the manufacturers authorised repairers or parts (currently some manufacturers render the guarantee void if repairs are not carried out by their authorised repairer).
• A new section 19A (Request to repair) which means a consumer may request repair rather than replacement of goods and for these to be completed in a reasonable period of time or have the item repaired and obtain the costs from the supplier. Currently retailers often just replace the item without making an attempt to repair it or seeking the preference of the consumer.
• Amendment to section 25(c ) where consumers have the right to redress against manufacturers when the goods fail to comply with the guarantee as to information, repairs and spare parts.
• The repeal of section 42 – which would mean there is no longer an exception to manufacturers needing to supply repairs and parts if the retailers informs the consumer at the time of purchase that no repairs or spare parts are available.
  
  Read about the bill here.

Plastics New Zealand will keep abreast of the progress of this bill and will advise on the further implications for the industry and any required response in due course.