From today, 1st May 2026, New Zealand moves to a low-lead plumbing regime for products used in contact with potable water.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says the purpose of this change is to reduce the risk of lead leaching into potable water and to protect consumers against the health impacts of lead exposure.
This reform aligns New Zealand with international best practice and reinforces the industry’s shared responsibility to safeguard public health.
New legislation is often tricky to navigate. If you are a homeowner, a plumber or a designer and wondering how the regulatory changes will impact your next project, the experts at Oakleys can help guide you with product choices.
Oakleys uses only reputable suppliers who manufacture quality fittings and who are dedicated to providing safe and legal products into Kiwi homes.
The new legislation means that products intended to transfer potable water must now have a lead content of no more than 0.25% for any copper-alloy product used in contact with drinking water. This also includes plumbing fittings that deliver potable water to your mixers and taps.
The New Zealand Master Plumbers Organisation highlights the key points as follows:
• for building consents granted by a building consent authority on or before 1 May 2026, including consented projects already under construction, the building work may proceed using the Acceptable Solution provisions approved by the building consent.
• Building consent applications made on or after 2 May 2026 must follow the updated provisions when using the Acceptable Solution as a means of compliance.
Examples of products to which the lead in plumbing products provision will not apply include:
Showers and baths for bathing, including shower and bath mixers
Pumps used for irrigation, firefighting or other non potable water purposes
Sanitary fixtures such as toilets, cistern inlet valves, bidets and urinals
Products used exclusively for non-potable uses such as manufacturing, industrial processing, irrigation, or any other use where the water is not anticipated to be consumed by people.
You can be rest assured that all products on our website meet the updated low lead requirements so you can feel secure when you are browsing our product.
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