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WTO notification · TBT

New ZealandAdopted, according to its latest noticeEmergency

Equipment for children, Works of art

Official title

Draft Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products) Notice 2026 (6 pages, in English), The draft notice would be made under the Fair Trading Act 1986 and would declare certain toys containing sand and decorative, craft or artistic goods containing accessible sand to be unsafe goods unless prescribed asbestos testing requirements have been met. The notice incorporates by reference: ISO 22262-2:20

New Zealand issued an addendum on 30 October 2026 to the earlier TBT notification G/TBT/N/NZL/159. Addenda often report that a measure was adopted, changed, postponed or withdrawn. The measure was first notified on 4 September 2026. The comment period closed on 25 September 2026.

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Source: WTO ePing (opens in a new tab). Summaries by Expodite, which is independent of the WTO.

Published here:

Updated here:

At a glance

Products

Consumer products containing sand, including: Toys containing sand (whether sand is accessible or sealed within the toy), excluding natural sand intended for sand pits. Decorative, craft and artistic goods containing accessible sand. Indicative Toys; 97.195 Works of art and hand

Notifying member
New Zealand
Status
Adopted, according to its latest notice
Objectives
  • Protection of human health or safety
Area
TBT: Technical product rulesTechnical barriers to trade
Notification type
Regular notification
Document symbol
G/TBT/N/NZL/159Latest notice: G/TBT/N/NZL/159/Add.1
ICS classification
  • 97.190 Equipment for children
  • 97.195 Items of art and handicrafts. Cultural property and heritage
  • 97.200.50 Toys
Keywords
Human health

Key dates

Distributed by the WTO
Comment deadline
Closed on 25 September 2026
Proposed adoption
To be determined
Proposed entry into force
To be determined

What the notification says

Latest notice (⁨G/TBT/N/NZL/159/Add.1⁩, 30 October 2026)

The latest notice says the measure was adopted or published.

Draft Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products) Notice 2026 (6 pages, in English), The final notice has been issued by the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs under section 31 of the Fair Trading Act 1986. The notice declares certain toys containing sand and decorative, craft or artistic goods containing accessible sand to be unsafe goods unless prescribed asbestos testing requirements

Since November 2025, New Zealand suppliers have undertaken 23 recalls of consumer sand products following the detection of asbestos contamination, affecting approximately 46,000 units. Research has demonstrated that asbestos fibres may become airborne during normal use of some sand products, creating a risk of inhalation and associated adverse health effects. The proposed measure seeks to prevent the supply of asbestos-contaminated consumer sand products in New Zealand. The use of an internationally recognised testing method and laboratory accreditation requirements intend to provide a consistent and reliable basis for demonstrating compliance. The measure is intended as an interim requirement pending development of longer-term product safety regulation addressing asbestos contamination in consumer sand products (hence the urgency).

The proposed Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products Containing Asbestos) Notice 2026 would prohibit the supply of specified consumer sand products unless suppliers hold evidence demonstrating that the products do not contain asbestos. The notice would apply to: goods that are a toy that is, include, or contain sand; and; goods that are a decorative, craft or artistic good that are sand or that include or contain accessible sand. The notice would not apply to sand produced by natural geological processes that is intended to fill sand pits, playgrounds, or other recreational areas. To demonstrate compliance, suppliers would be required to: obtain negative asbestos test results for at least three samples of a product, which includes: obtaining testing using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) or Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) using the applicable procedures specified in ISO 22262-2:2026; ensuring testing is conducted by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by an accreditation body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA); ensure those samples were tested within the 12 months preceding importation (for imported goods) or manufacture (for domestically manufactured goods); and; have a test certificate, test report, test result, or other document recording the results of the testing and meets specified requirements (such as indicating that no…

Notices on this measure

Every notice about this measure published here, newest first. Each one is the notifying member's own text.

  1. AddendumG/TBT/N/NZL/159/Add.1

    Draft Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products) Notice 2026 (6 pages, in English), The final notice has been issued by the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs under section 31 of the Fair Trading Act 1986. The notice declares certain toys containing sand and decorative, craft or artistic goods containing accessible sand to be unsafe goods unless prescribed asbestos testing requirements

    Since November 2025, New Zealand suppliers have undertaken 23 recalls of consumer sand products following the detection of asbestos contamination, affecting approximately 46,000 units. Research has demonstrated that asbestos fibres may become airborne during normal use of some sand products, creating a risk of inhalation and associated adverse health effects. The proposed measure seeks to prevent the supply of asbestos-contaminated consumer sand products in New Zealand. The use of an internationally recognised testing method and laboratory accreditation requirements intend to provide a consistent and reliable basis for demonstrating compliance. The measure is intended as an interim requirement pending development of longer-term product safety regulation addressing asbestos contamination in consumer sand products (hence the urgency).

    Open on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)Official WTO document (opens in a new tab)Notified document (opens in a new tab)

  2. Emergency notificationG/TBT/N/NZL/159Emergency measure

    Comment deadline: Closed on 25 September 2026

    Draft Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products) Notice 2026 (6 pages, in English), The draft notice would be made under the Fair Trading Act 1986 and would declare certain toys containing sand and decorative, craft or artistic goods containing accessible sand to be unsafe goods unless prescribed asbestos testing requirements have been met. The notice incorporates by reference: ISO 22262-2:20

    The proposed Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products Containing Asbestos) Notice 2026 would prohibit the supply of specified consumer sand products unless suppliers hold evidence demonstrating that the products do not contain asbestos. The notice would apply to: goods that are a toy that is, include, or contain sand; and; goods that are a decorative, craft or artistic good that are sand or that include or contain accessible sand. The notice would not apply to sand produced by natural geological processes that is intended to fill sand pits, playgrounds, or other recreational areas. To demonstrate compliance, suppliers would be required to: obtain negative asbestos test results for at least three samples of a product, which includes: obtaining testing using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) or Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) using the applicable procedures specified in ISO 22262-2:2026; ensuring testing is conducted by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by an accreditation body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA); ensure those samples were tested within the 12 months preceding importation (for imported goods) or manufacture (for domestically manufactured goods); and; have a test certificate, test report, test result, or other document recording the results of the testing and meets specified requirements (such as indicating that no…

    Open on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)Official WTO document (opens in a new tab)Notified document (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Expodite writes its summary from the official record. The notification and the documents it notifies are on the WTO's own websites.

All updates from New Zealand

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    Proposals to Amend the New Zealand Food Notice: Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds

    The document contains technical details on proposals to amend the current Notice issued under the Food Act 2014 that lists the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for agricultural compounds in New Zealand. MPI proposes the following amendments to the Notice: The amendment of existing entries in Schedule…

    Symbol: G/SPS/N/NZL/796Comments until 19 December 2026

  2. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, not in force yet

    Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, 295 pages, English, Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No 2) 2004, 30 pages, English, Notice under the…

    New Zealand has amended Schedules 1AA and 2A of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and Schedule 1 of the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No 2) 2004 to implement decisions made by the 2025 Conference of the Parties under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent…

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  3. WTO notificationTBTUpdated: check whether it is now adopted or in force

    Application for reassessment an approval – APP204694 application to reassess chlorpyrifos. Staff Assessment Report: Application to reassess chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos…

    The EPA is proposing to revoke the approvals for all chlorpyrifos containing substances. The approvals under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 for the import and manufacture for release for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos containing substances are proposed to be revoked. It is…

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/NZL/141/Add.1Comment period closed

  4. WTO notificationTBTProposed measure, may since have been adopted

    Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, 295 pages, English, Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No 2) 2004, 30 pages, English, Notice Under the…

    New Zealand has amended Schedules 1AA and 2A of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 to implement decisions made by the 2023 Conference of the Parties under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, to which New Zealand is a Party.

    Symbol: G/TBT/N/NZL/160

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