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The Ministry of Consumers Affairs' vision
is:
Creating confident consumers.
The Ministry's primary role is to create an environment that
promotes good and accurate information flows between suppliers and
consumers so that consumers can transact with confidence.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is part of the
Ministry of Economic Development.
What do we do?
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs work covers the:
- development of consumer policy including consumer protection,
product safety and weights and measures
- provision of appropriate, accurate and accessible information,
education and advice for consumers and businesses on consumer laws
and issues
- investigation of unsafe consumer products
- provision of advice on
consumer representation, including a consumer representation
nomination service to government departments and agencies
- administration of a range of consumer legislation
- enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act 1987.
What we don't do and who may be able to help you
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs does not enforce the Fair
Trading Act or investigate breaches of the Act. Consumers or
business can contact the
Commerce Commission with information about unfair or misleading
trading practices, or anti-competitive behaviour by business.
The Commission does not give advice or take civil actions on
behalf of the public. Consumers or businesses seeking compensation
for a breach of the Act can take a civil action through the Disputes
Tribunal or the District Court.
We don't publish Consumer magazine, it's published by
the Consumer NZ. For information about the Consumers NZ please see their
website.
Consumer issues
The Citizens Advice Bureaux is an independent community
organisation which provides a free, confidential and impartial
service of information and advice to any member of the public with
any query or problem. If you have a consumer issue you can go to
your local bureau for assistance. Call their free phone number on
0800 367 222, visit their website, or look them up in the white
pages.
Briefing to incoming Ministers 2005
This
document is a guide to the Consumer Affairs portfolio and
provides a summary of key issues and themes for the next few years.
It accompanies the Ministry of Economic Development's briefing
Advancing Economic Development
which provides an overview of its thinking about economic
development policy.
Ministry structure
We are part of the Ministry of Economic Development. The Ministry
of Consumer Affairs is made up of: the Consumer Policy Group (which
includes consumer policy and energy safety advice); the Research,
Information and Capability Group; and the Measurement and Product
Safety.
General Manager
Elizabeth MacPherson
The Consumer Policy Group
Manager
Evelyn Cole
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ Consumer Policy Group gives advice to the
Government on matters that affect consumers when they buy goods and
services.
We:
- monitor how laws and practices affect consumers
- promote good business practice
- provide input from a consumer's perspective into relevant
programmes of other government departments
- recommend legislative changes to the Government, when
necessary, to achieve a fair and informed marketplace.
We monitor industry self-regulation including codes – for
example, the Insurance and Savings, Banking, and Direct Selling
codes of practice; and electricity supply contracts for retail
customers.
We monitor and review different markets and legislation such as
the Fair Trading, Consumer Guarantees, and Credit Contracts and
Consumer Finance Acts.
The Consumer Policy Group is also responsible for providing
advice to government on energy safety related issues.
For more information visit the
Policy, Law and Research
section.
Consumer Capability and Information Team
Manager
Liz Stretton
The Consumer Capability and Information Team provides:
- information for consumers and business on consumer rights and
obligations
- training and hotlines for community agencies that provide
consumer information to the public
- guidelines and assistance to source high quality consumer
representatives.
We work with organisations and communities to help them build
their capability to provide consumer information and advice to their
communities and constituents. We focus on communities whose members
are likely to be disproportionately affected by a "bad deal".
For more information on your rights see our
Consumer Info section.
For more information on Businesses legal obligations see our
Business Info section.
Consumers can also obtain information about their rights and
responsibilities under consumer law from their local Citizens Advice
Bureau.
Measurement and Product Safety Service
Manager
Stephen O'Brien
The Measurement and Product Safety Service (MAPSS) undertakes two
major functions - trade measurement and product safety.
Tel: 0508 MAPSS Info (0508 627 774)
International Clients: 0064 3 962 2580
Product Safety
We seek to ensure that safe goods are supplied in the market and
that consumers use them safely.
The Ministry can:
- investigate unsafe products
- suggest modifications to make a product safe
- request that unsafe products be removed from sale
- give advice to companies recalling unsafe products
- help develop self-regulation options.
Where circumstances require this, the Minister of Consumer
Affairs can:
- recall unsafe products
- ban an unsafe product
- make mandatory standards.
For more information, visit the
Product Safety section.
Trade Measurement
The Ministry's Measurement and Product Safety Service works to
make sure traders are aware of, and obey the laws regarding weight
and measure. We administer and enforce the Weights and Measures Act.
We:
- carry out spot checks of weighing and measuring equipment
- check the weight of packaged goods
- investigate complaints from the public.
For more information, visit the
Measurement section.
Energy Safety
From 1 October 2006 Energy Safety was co-located with
the Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) Group of the Ministry Economic
Development’s Business Services Branch to form the Radio Spectrum
Management and Energy Safety Group.
For more information on the Energy Safety, visit its
website
[external website].
Ministry Review – Phase One Report
and Background Papers – May 2003
Since the end of 2002 the Ministry of Consumer Affairs undertook
a review of itself to ensure that it remains relevant, effective and
efficient in the services it provides to key stakeholders into the
future.
The key aim of the review was to answer the question “What is the
role of a Ministry of Consumer Affairs in a modern, dynamic
economy”?
Phase One of the Review was an assessment of the Ministry’s
strategic direction - “what” it should do and “why”. This stage has
been completed.
The Review Team, comprising staff from the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs and the wider Ministry of Economic Development, presented
its report Creating Confident Consumers: the role of the Ministry
of Consumer Affairs in a modern dynamic economy to Liz
MacPherson, General Manager, Ministry of Consumer Affairs in May
2003.
The Review concluded that the main role of the Ministry is to
create an environment that is conducive to good and accurate
information flows between suppliers and consumers so that consumers
can transact with confidence. This is about developing, or helping
develop appropriate rules governing the behaviour of consumers,
suppliers, markets and institutions so that the gap between what
consumers expect and what they get from a transaction is as small as
possible.
Review documents
Ministry Review - Phase
Two: Organisational Review Final Report - August 2003
Phase Two of the review of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs was
completed in August 2003. In this phase of the review, General
Manager Liz MacPherson, considered what the Ministry needed to do to
put into action the recommendations and conclusions of Phase One of
the Review. Here she focussed on Ministry’s structure, organisation
and resourcing.
After looking at how the Ministry was organised and resourced,
the conclusion was reached that the Ministry did need a new
organisational structure to reflect and support its future
direction.
The Phase Two: Organisational Review Report was completed, after
consultation and feedback from Ministry staff, and presented to them
at the end of August 2003. The Report looked at “how” the Ministry
does its work. The Report also considered the specific structure,
systems, staff, skills, style, and shared values necessary to
support the strategic direction and role of the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs arising from Phase One.
The Phase Two report sets out the future direction of the
Ministry, its new structure and staffing arrangements and the
rationale behind the changes.
Review documents
Phase Two Report
Employment Opportunities within the
Ministry
Vacancies at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs are generally
advertised in newspapers and on the
Ministry of
Economic Development website.
Our Minister - Minister of Consumer Affairs
Hon Judith Tizard is the Minister of Consumer Affairs.
For information about our Minister please visit her page on the
official website of the New Zealand Government
Hon
Judith Tizard.
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