G/TBT/N/NZL/102  
16 July 2020  
(20-4840) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  NEW ZEALAND   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Ministry for the Environment  
Environment House  
23 Kate Sheppard Place  
Thorndon 6011 Wellington  
New Zealand  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regardin g the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Standards New Zealand  
Ph +64 4 498 5990  
wto@standards.co.nz   
www.standards.govt.nz  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
All mercury -added products listed in Par t I of Annex A of the Minamata Convention on 
Mercury for new use substances.  
Products in scope are:  
• Batteries, except:  
- Button zinc silver oxide batteries with a mercury content <2%  
- Button zinc air batteries with a mercury content <2%  
• Switches and relays, except:  
- Very high accuracy capacitance and loss measurement bridges  
- High frequency radio frequency switches and relays in monitoring and control 
instruments with a maximum mercury content of 20mg per bridge, switch or relay  
• Lamps  containing specified quantities of mercury  
- Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for general lighting purposes that are 
<= 30 watts with a mercury content exceeding 2.5 mg per lamp and > 30 watts 
with a mercury content exceeding 5 mg per lamp  
- Linear fluor escent lamps (LFLs) for general lighting purposes:  
   - Triband phosphor < 60 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5 mg per lamp  
   - Halophosphate phosphor <= 40 watts with a mercury content exceeding 10 mg 
per lamp  
- High pressure mercury vapour lamp s for general lighting purposes  
- Cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps  G/TBT/N/NZL/102  
 
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  • Cosmetics  
• Pesticides, biocides, topical antiseptics  
• Non-electronic measuring devices (barometers, hygrometers, manometers, 
thermometers, sphygmomano meters)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Managing the 
trade in mercury and mercury products: New Zealand's approach to ratifying the Minamata 
Convention on Mercury  (31 page(s), in English)  
https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Climate%20Change/minamata -
convention -consultation.pdf   
6. Description of content:  We propose to:  
• Amend regulations under the Import and Export (Restrictions) Act 1988 to ban the 
import and export of specific mercury -containing products.  
• Create new regulations under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 to ban the 
manufacture and sale of certain mercury -containing products in New Zealand.  
These changes, along with other domestic law changes, are ex pected to bring 
New Zealand's regulations into line with the Minamata Convention on Mercury.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  These changes are required to meet the ratification requirements of the 
Minamata Convention on Mercury, which seeks to address the global threat to human 
health and the environment posed by human -made mercury  
8. Relevant documents:   
• https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Climate%20Change/minamata -
convention -consultation.pdf  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  April 2021  
Proposed date of entry into force:  October 2021  
10. Final date for comments:  15 September 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
minamata@mfe.govt.nz   
https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Cli mate%20Change/minamata -
convention -consultation.pdf