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• 2010 Regulatory Regime

• Appliance Safety Regime (2010)

• Product compliance guide
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The Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations of 2010 introduced a regime for gas appliances that supplemented the existing ‘on-line’ supplier declaration scheme by the addition of requirements for certification, and the labelling of appliances with a flame symbol having commonality with the symbol proposed for adoption in Australia. These obligations apply to the importer or NZ manufacturer of the appliance who then supplies the appliance.

An alternative regime is available for Small Production Appliances where the appliance is Endorsed by an Approved Practitioner. A small production appliance is an appliance of which there are fewer than eleven of in NZ or an appliance that forms part of an imported installation such as a motorhome.

The regulations explicitly state that the obligations on appliance importers also apply to persons who import gas installations such as motorhomes.

The 2011 Amendments to the Regulations (which have effect from 10 November 2011) expand the recognised certification systems to include North American schemes; expand Australian recognition and extends the transition period from May 2012. The transitional period will now end on 30 June 2013. An explanation on the old regime, Safety Obligations: Gas Appliances and Fittings,  is available on this website.

The Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010, as amended by the Amendment Regulations of 2011, have four fundamental requirements:

• That all appliances be certified under a recognised certification regime (or be covered by the small quantity endorsement regime).
• That all appliances (except those under the endorsement regime) be the subject of a supplier declaration made on the ‘on-line’ database by the NZ importer or manufacturer. The supplier will need to upload a copy of the certification.
• That all appliances (except those under the endorsement regime) be labelled with the Gas Safety Compliance Label. The label comprises only a flame symbol and no longer requires wording around it. (If labelling the appliance is not possible because of the size of the appliance then the packaging, instructions or warranty may bear the label).

• That all appliances be marked with specified information, (usually on the data plate). A change to the previous requirements is that the supplier making the supplier declaration must be identified on the appliance. LPG appliances connected to disposable canisters and simple burners of less than 1 kW do not need to show gas pressure or input rating.

Note that it is acceptable to incorporate the compliance label requirement with the requirement to identify the supplier making the declaration. See the example below. The NZ supplier, “ES Appliances (NZ) Ltd” is a different company to the manufacturer and is identified on the compliance label.

In addition, on-sellers (including retailers) are required to ensure that the appliances are labelled with the safety compliance label. Installers are required to verify that the appliances have a safety compliance label or are listed in the declaration database.

Four certification regimes are recognised through a schedule (Schedule 2A) that lists the schemes, and also the relevant appliance Standards and recognised certification bodies. For most appliances some extra NZ only conditions are applied such as requirements to reflect NZ’s fuel gases and in particular NZ’s LPG.

The recognised regimes are:

• Certification under the EU Gas Burning Appliances Directive to BS/EN Standards from an EU notified body.
• Certification by one of the three Australian gas appliance certification bodies (AGA, SAI Global, and IAPMO) to the listed AS and AS/NZS Standards
• Certification by one of two North America certification bodies (CSA or UL) to the listed ANSI Standards
• Certification by body that is accredited to certify to NZS/AS 3645: Part 2.

The requirements relating to gas Wobbe rating have been removed and replaced by the direct recognition of the gas types applicable for each scheme.

It is intended that the Regulations be reviewed at least once before they become mandatory in 2013. This review is proposed to verify that the listed Standards are practicable for each of the recognised regimes, and explore the addition of other regimes (including Asian schemes) where they would be suitable to deliver compliance and trade outcomes.

While it is expected that the commonly imported appliances have been catered for, the key task now for the gas industry is to verify that that the recognised certification regimes and Standards are appropriate, and that the marking and labelling requirements are practicable.