Laboratory chemicals that are hazardous substances require approval, under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, before they can be imported or manufactured in New Zealand.
Banned substances can be used as analytical standards under certain circumstances.
Does your product require approval?
To find out, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Is your product exempt from HSNO?
Certain substances are exempt or excluded from the Act. These include substances for use in small-scale research and development or teaching.
If you do not meet the requirements for an exempt laboratory, go to step 2.
Step 2: Is your product hazardous?
Your substance will need to be classified for its hazardous properties. You can either do this:
- yourself; or
- you can obtain assistance from us.
If you choose to self-classify your product, follow the rules in sections 5 and 6 of the classification guide below.
Assigning a Hazardous Substance to a Group Standard (pdf, 1.22 mb)
If you do not wish to self-classify, we can do this for you.
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.
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 substance already approved in New Zealand?
If your substance is a single component chemical, you must check to see that it is listed for use as a chemical in its own right on the New Zealand Inventory of Chemicals (NZIoC).
If your chemical is listed on the NZIoC with an HSR approval number you can use this approval.
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 approval.
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 Part10 (‘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, 125 kb]
[pdf, 43 kb]
Step 6: Does the product fit the criteria of a group standard?
Pick the laboratory chemicals and reagent kit group standard that matches the classification of your product.
Check the Scope of the group standard (Section 3) 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. A sample record keeping form can be used for this purpose.
Record of assigning a product to a group standard (Word, 512 kb)