These amendments, initially announced in June 2023, are detailed in the Federal Register of Legislation under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment (2024 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2024.
Effective from July 1, 2024, the import and manufacture of the following equipment will be restricted:
Outdoor units for single-head split air conditioning systems
Portable air conditioners
Window/wall air conditioners (single units designed for installation in a window or wall)
From July 1, 2025, restrictions will extend to:
Outdoor units for multi-head split air conditioning systems
These restrictions target air conditioning equipment that:
Is designed to cool, heat, or both, for human comfort
Has a refrigerant charge of 2.6kg or less (as per compliance plate or manual)
Contains, or is designed to operate with, an HFC refrigerant with a GWP greater than 750
For the full story, including impacts and exemptions, new penalties and the impact on qualifications, units of competency and standards for refrigeration handing, click here.
Kawerau, 20 March 2026 – A high-tech plasma torch was lit up today as Minister of Conservation, Hon Tama Potaka, officially opened the $10 million National Refrigerant Destruction Facility.
1 January 2026 marks a major step forward for vocational education in New Zealand, with ten regionally governed polytechnics and eight new Industry Skills Boards officially beginning operation, Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says.
