Arguably the most wide-reaching change following the recent
overhaul of New Zealand's consumer laws is the prohibition on
unfair contract terms in standard form consumer contracts. These
changes come into effect on 17 March 2015.
The Commerce Commission has indicated that it will take a
proactive approach to enforcing these new rules. It has recently
finalised its guidelines outlining its intended approach to
enforcement. You can access these guidelines by
clicking here.
What is the purpose of the change?
Consumers are often asked to agree to standard terms and
conditions when purchasing goods and services without reading or
understanding those terms.
These new provisions are intended to redress the imbalance of
bargaining power between consumers and businesses when standard
form contracts are used.
