On 1 July 2026, Parliament passed the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill at its third reading. It is the most significant change to New Zealand's health and safety law since the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) was introduced in 2015, and it delivers on a commitment in the ACT and National coalition agreement to reduce compliance costs and refocus the system.
If you run an operations-heavy business, such as a warehouse, a plant, a distribution operation or a site with plant and machinery, it is worth understanding what has actually changed. Some of the headlines have been read as "less health and safety", but the reality is more nuanced. For most businesses the practical message is not to do less training, but to train on the things that matter most.
What the reform actually does
The Government's stated aim is to reduce unnecessary compliance costs, give businesses clearer guidance, and refocus the system on the hazards most likely to kill or seriously harm people. Four changes stand out.
1. A sharper focus on "critical risks"
The amended law centres the system on critical risks: hazards likely to result in death, a notifiable injury or illness, a notifiable incident, or a listed occupational disease. A new schedule in the Act describes these hazards specifically. In practice, regulators and businesses are expected to put their energy into the things most likely to cause serious harm, rather than into paperwork for low-level risks.
2. A lighter touch for small businesses
The reform introduces a new category, the "small PCBU", defined as a business with fewer than 20 workers for at least nine months of the year (the nine-month test allows for seasonal and fluctuating workforces). Because roughly 97% of New Zealand businesses have fewer than 20 workers, this captures the vast majority of employers. Small PCBUs will be required to actively manage their critical risks, and to meet reduced obligations around providing information, training, instruction, supervision and PPE. Basic worker welfare, such as first aid, washing facilities and adequate lighting, still applies in full.
3. Stronger Approved Codes of Practice
The role of Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) is being strengthened, so businesses have clearer, more authoritative guidance to follow, and WorkSafe is directed to prioritise those critical risks in how it operates. For businesses, this may be the most useful change: less guessing about what "reasonably practicable" means, and more concrete guidance to point to.
4. Narrower duties for directors and officers
The due diligence duties of company officers are being confined to their governance role. Where someone holds both a governance role and an operational one, for example a director who is also a chief executive, their officer's duty attaches to the governance role, not to everything they do day to day. The intent is to focus board-level attention on governing health and safety well, rather than second-guessing operational decisions.
The timing, and the caveat
Commencement has moved to 1 April 2027. The changes were originally set to take effect on 1 November 2026, but were pushed back to 1 April 2027, which falls after the general election.
There is political uncertainty. The Bill passed against opposition, and Labour has signalled it would repeal the changes. That means the incoming government, whoever forms it, has a window to alter the law before businesses have to comply. It is sensible to prepare, but premature to tear up what already works.
What it means for your training obligations
For employers, the key point is this: the reform does not switch off the duty to train your people. It reframes that duty around the risks that count. Four things follow from that.
Critical-risk training is exactly what stays required. Forklifts and pedestrian separation, hazardous substances, working at height, machinery, manual handling and first aid are all textbook critical risks. If anything, the reform's language reinforces the case for training here, because these are precisely the hazards the system is now built around. For a business with warehouses or plant, your core safety training is unaffected.
Small businesses have a lighter floor, but the essentials still matter. If you are under 20 workers, your formal obligations narrow to your critical risks, which is a genuine reduction in low-value compliance. Even so, no longer being legally required to do something is not the same as it no longer being worth doing. A single serious forklift or hazardous-substance incident costs far more than the training that prevents it, and that critical-risk training is the very training that remains expected.
Governance-level understanding still matters. With officer duties focused on governance, boards and owners need a clear, current understanding of how they govern health and safety: what to ask for, what good looks like, and how to assure themselves that the critical risks are controlled. Short, targeted director and officer training is a sensible response to this change, not an optional extra.
Don't let "reduced compliance" be misread as "stop training". The biggest risk here is a communication one: staff and managers hearing that the rules got lighter and quietly letting good practice lapse. A short internal message that clarifies what has and has not changed, and reaffirms that your critical-risk training continues, keeps everyone aligned.
A practical way to structure it
The reform is a good prompt to make sure your training maps cleanly onto your real risks. A structure that works well for most operations-heavy businesses has three layers: an all-staff safety foundation covering your highest-frequency critical risks, an all-staff culture and wellbeing foundation (psychosocial risk remains a live duty under the Act), and a focused set of role-specific electives (forklift, first aid, hazardous substances, HSR, fire warden) assigned only to the people who need them.
This is the model Capability Solutions builds for New Zealand businesses: structured, critical-risk-aligned training delivered on a learning platform branded to your business, so new starters are trained on day one and managers can see at a glance who has completed what.
Common questions
When does the new health and safety law take effect?
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill passed its third reading on 1 July 2026 and is due to commence on 1 April 2027, pushed back from the original 1 November 2026 date. Because it takes effect after the general election, and Labour has said it would repeal it, the timing remains subject to political change.
What is a small PCBU under the reform?
A small PCBU is a business with fewer than 20 workers for at least nine months of the year. Around 97% of New Zealand businesses fall into this category. Small PCBUs must actively manage their critical risks and meet reduced obligations for information, training, instruction, supervision and PPE, while basic worker welfare facilities such as first aid, washing facilities and lighting still apply in full.
Does the reform mean my business needs less health and safety training?
Not for the risks that matter. The reform refocuses the system on critical risks, and critical-risk training such as forklift operation, hazardous substances, manual handling and first aid is exactly what remains required. Small businesses have a lighter legal floor, but the training that prevents serious harm is still expected and still worth doing.
What changes for company directors and officers?
The due diligence duties of directors and officers are being confined to their governance role. Where a person holds both governance and operational roles, their officer's duty attaches to governance, not to day-to-day operations. Boards still need a clear, current understanding of how they govern health and safety and how the critical risks are controlled.
Want to make sure your training lines up with the new law?
We can review how your current training maps to your critical risks, and build the courses and bundles to close the gaps, all hosted on a platform branded to your business.
Get in touch Visit Capability SolutionsThis article is general information about the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill and is not legal advice. Health and safety law is changing and remains subject to political change before it takes effect on 1 April 2027. For advice on your specific obligations, consult your health and safety adviser or refer to current WorkSafe New Zealand and MBIE guidance.