You will need approval if you want to import or manufacture any product for use in the home that is classed as a hazardous substance.
Household products that are hazardous substances include:
detergents
cleaners
soap powders.
Generally these products are managed under group standard approvals.
Pesticides, veterinary medicines and vertebrate toxic agents are not covered under group standards. This includes those that are used in the home.
To find out if your product is a hazardous substance, and whether it is covered by a group standard approval, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Is your product exempt or excluded from HSNO?
Certain substances are exempt or excluded from the Act. These include non-hazardous substances, substances for use in an exempt laboratory, manufactured articles, radioactive and infectious materials, foods (but not food additives) and ready-to-use human medicines.
Step 2: Is your product hazardous?
Your product will need to be classified for its HSNO hazardous properties. You can either do this yourself or you can ask us to classify it for you.
If you choose to self-classify your product, follow the rules in sections 5 and 6 of the classification guide below.
If you would like us to classify your product, you need to make a status of substance request.
Step 3: Is your substance a single component chemical or formulated product?
If your substance is a:
- single component chemical – go to Step 4;
Here, a chemical means: … any element or compound in its natural state or obtained by any production process, including any impurities and any additive necessary to preserve the stability of the chemical, but excluding any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the chemical or change its composition.
Note that, although water is a chemical in its own right, a component mixed or diluted with water may still be considered to be a single component chemical. Contact us for advice in this situation.
- formulated product – go to Step 5.
Step 4: Is your chemical already in New Zealand?
If your substance is a single component chemical, you must check to see that it is listed on the New Zealand Inventory of Chemicals (NZIoC) for use as a chemical in its own right.
If your chemical is listed on the NZIoC for use as a chemical in its own right, go to Step 6.
If your chemical is not on the NZIoC, or is listed but only for use as a component in a substance approved under a group standard, contact us about obtaining a HSNO approval.
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Step 5: Does the product contain a component not on the NZIoC?
Most, but not all, group standards contain a notification requirement for new chemical components. See Part 10 (‘Other Matters’) of the particular group standard to find out if it contains the notification condition.
If the appropriate group standard contains the inventory condition, all hazardous components of the product must be listed on the NZIoC.
If the product does not contain a ‘new’ chemical component, then it can be assigned to the group standard.
If your product contains a ‘new’ chemical component, then, before you can assign it to the group standard, you must notify us. Once we have been notified, the product can be assigned to the group standard.
Download Application Form
[Word, 125kb]
[pdf, 43kb]
Step 6: Does the product fit the criteria of a group standard?
Group standards are based on the use and/or the hazardous properties of a product. To determine which group standard your product fits under, find a group standard from the list that matches the use and hazard properties of your product. Then check the Section 3 “Scope” of the group standard to make sure your product is covered.
Step 7: Keeping a record of the self-classification and group standard assignment
You need to keep a record of why you assigned your product to a particular group standard.
You can use our sample record keeping form if you like:
Record of assigning a product to a group standard (word, 512 kb)