Consumer information standards regulations
Consumer information standards regulations may be created to provide consumers with information about goods or services that they cannot readily access or determine on their own.
Consumer information standards (CIS) regulations may be created to provide consumers with information about goods or services that they cannot readily access or determine on their own. This information can be used by the consumer to make more informed purchase decisions.
Current consumer information standards cover
- Country of origin labelling
- Fibre content labelling
- Care labelling
Section 27 of the Fair Trading Act 1986 provides for the making of CIS regulations. The regulations can relate to all or any of the following matters:
- the disclosure of information relating to the kind, grade, quantity, origin, performance, care, composition, contents, design, construction, use, price, finish, packaging, promotion, or supply of the goods or services:
- the form and manner in which that information must be disclosed on or in relation to, or in connection with, the supply or resupply, or possible supply or resupply, or promotion of the supply of the goods or services.
In mandating the disclosure of the required information the regulations may declare that one or more official standards (e.g. a standard published by Standards New Zealand) or parts of official standards, to be consumer information standards. The regulation-making powers also enable the declared standards to be varied as necessary.
The Commerce Commission enforces CIS regulations.
