High-risk merchant accounts for NZ businesses

The Gambling Act 2003 treats as gambling any paid stake on a chance outcome where the player seeks to win money, and money includes money's worth even when it cannot be cashed out. A social casino whose coins have no cash or resale value stays outside it. Sweepstakes that redeem winnings for cash or prizes are online casino gambling, which needs one of at most 15 DIA licenses.

Gambling Act 2003, section 4(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No New Zealand license covers credit repair or debt negotiation as such, though the Fair Trading Act governs how they are sold. Lending is different: since July 1, 2026, being a creditor under a consumer credit contract is a service licensed by the Financial Markets Authority, which now enforces the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, and advice on refinancing a consumer loan is regulated financial advice.

Financial Markets Authority: credit providers(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Dietary supplements in New Zealand need no pre-market approval: the sponsor answers for quality, safety and compliance under the Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985. A supplement may not claim a therapeutic purpose, and several vitamins and minerals carry maximum daily doses. The Therapeutic Products Act 2023, which would have replaced this regime, was repealed in December 2024.

Medsafe: regulation of dietary supplements(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Coaching and digital courses need no license in New Zealand, but the Fair Trading Act bites on the sales page. Every claim about results or earnings must have reasonable grounds at the time it is made, and the Act applies to overseas sellers too. Consumer Guarantees Act duties of reasonable care and skill apply to services sold to consumers.

Commerce Commission: making accurate claims(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Remote IT support and repair need no license in New Zealand. Services sold to consumers carry Consumer Guarantees Act guarantees of reasonable care and skill, fitness for purpose, completion in a reasonable time and a reasonable price where none was agreed, and a consumer contract cannot exclude them. The Fair Trading Act separately bans misleading claims about the service.

Consumer Guarantees Act 1993(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Multi-level marketing is lawful in New Zealand, and the Commerce Commission draws the line clearly: participants must earn from selling products. A scheme whose returns depend mainly on payments from new recruits is a pyramid scheme, banned under the Fair Trading Act 1986, and the Commission has prosecuted promoters, securing a conviction in 2024.

Commerce Commission: pyramid selling schemes and referral selling fact sheet (PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Content that is not objectionable may be sold to adults, but creating, holding or sharing objectionable material is a crime, and content that promotes sexual exploitation of young people, sexual violence, torture or extreme violence is always objectionable. No age verification law is in force. The Online Safety Bill introduced on August 24, 2026 would require some platforms to keep under-16s off.

Classification Office: what is harmful and illegal content?(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Dating platforms need no license in New Zealand. The Fair Trading Act covers how memberships are sold, including automatic renewals: the Commerce Commission expects clear disclosure, a reminder before renewal and a fair way to cancel. The Online Safety Bill introduced in August 2026 could bring some user-to-user platforms under a minimum age of 16.

Commerce Commission: subscriptions and automatic rollovers guide (PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling trips or tours to New Zealand consumers takes no travel agent license, but an operator running adventure activities such as rafting or bungy must pass a safety audit and be registered with WorkSafe. Services sold to consumers carry Consumer Guarantees Act guarantees of reasonable care and skill, and the Fair Trading Act covers how they are advertised.

Consumer Protection: flights, cancellations and delays(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A membership that only grants holiday use is sold under the Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Guarantees Act. The line is money: if members are promised capital growth, rental income or other financial returns produced by the operator, the product can be a managed investment scheme under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, with disclosure and licensing duties.

Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, section 9(opens in a new tab)Sector page

New Zealand has no general cap on ticket resale prices. The exception is an event declared under the Major Events Management Act 2007, such as the 2011 Rugby World Cup or the 2017 Lions Tour: its tickets cannot be resold above the original price, fees included, and no concert has been declared so far. Resale sites in trade remain bound by consumer law.

Commerce Commission: buying event tickets(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Overseas sellers of goods worth NZ$1,000 or less must register for New Zealand GST once their sales to local consumers reach NZ$60,000 over 12 months, a rule in place since December 1, 2019. Dearer items pay GST and duty at the border. Product safety standards and unsafe goods notices apply to every seller, and the Commerce Commission takes action against non-compliant goods.

Inland Revenue: supplying low value imported goods(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Fair Trading Act bans unfair terms in standard form consumer contracts. The Commerce Commission's guide expects renewal terms to be clear from the start, a reminder a reasonable time before each renewal explaining how to stop it, and freedom to cancel after renewal without a fee. Long notice periods and one-sided rollovers are among its examples of unfair terms.

Commerce Commission: subscriptions and automatic rollovers guide (PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

New Zealand repealed its smokefree generation, nicotine cap and limit on tobacco retailers in March 2024, so selling smoked tobacco no longer needs approval. Sellers must not sell or deliver to anyone under 18, and a website may only name a product and show its price. Products for oral use, such as nicotine pouches, cannot be sold unless consented as medicines under the Medicines Act 1981.

Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Act 2024(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 came into force on May 1, 2026 and caps online casino licenses at 15, issued by the Department of Internal Affairs. Eleven bidders won the right to apply at the auction that closed on October 12, 2026, and providers that have not applied must stop on December 1. Since June 28, 2025, only TAB NZ may offer sports or race betting.

Department of Internal Affairs: online casino gambling, information for providers(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Offering CFDs or margin forex to retail investors in New Zealand is a regulated offer of derivatives, and the issuer must hold a derivatives issuer license from the Financial Markets Authority under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Licensed issuers follow disclosure and client money rules, register on the Financial Service Providers Register and join a dispute resolution scheme.

Financial Markets Authority: derivatives issuers(opens in a new tab)Sector page

New Zealand has no dedicated crypto license. A business providing crypto services to people in New Zealand must register on the Financial Service Providers Register, join a dispute resolution scheme for retail clients and meet AML/CFT duties, with the Department of Internal Affairs as sole supervisor since July 1, 2026. A token that works like a share, debt or derivative is a regulated financial product.

Financial Markets Authority: crypto asset service providers(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Medical Council of New Zealand treats telehealth to a patient in New Zealand as practicing medicine in New Zealand, wherever the doctor sits. The doctor should be registered with the Council and hold a current practicing certificate. Its 2023 statement asks for particular care when prescribing to a new patient or without medical records, and for proper assessment before a first class A or B controlled drug.

Medical Council of New Zealand: statement on telehealth (PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Every vape seller must notify the Director-General of Health. General retailers may sell only tobacco, mint and menthol flavors; other flavors need approval as a specialist vape retailer, which covers a physical store earning most of its sales from vaping and, where approved, its website. Disposable vapes have been banned since June 17, 2025, and no vape may be sold or delivered to anyone under 18.

Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling prescription and pharmacy medicines online to New Zealand patients takes a license to operate a pharmacy under the Medicines Act 1981. A company qualifies only if pharmacists own more than half its shares and hold effective control, with narrow exceptions. Prescription medicines can be supplied only against a prescription from an authorized prescriber, and the Act's advertising rules apply to every medicine promoted on the site.

Medicines Act 1981(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Arms Act 2026 replaced the Arms Act 1983 on September 23, 2026. Selling firearms, parts or ammunition in trade takes a business license. An online or mail order for a standard firearm, magazine, part, most airguns or ammunition must be signed by the buyer and by an arms officer who has checked the buyer's firearms license. Pistols and restricted items also need a permit to possess.

Arms Act 2026(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Carrying vehicles by road in a truck of 6,000 kg gross vehicle mass or more needs a goods service license from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Selling vehicles as a business needs registration as a motor vehicle trader, and anyone who sells more than six vehicles or imports more than three in a specified period is treated as one.

Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling alcohol online takes an off-license from the district licensing committee, and a seller with no shop can have it endorsed for remote sales. The purchase age is 18, and the seller must take reasonable steps to check that both buyer and receiver are of age. Deliveries are banned between 11 pm and 6 am. A bill introduced in March 2026 would clarify the duties of rapid delivery services.

Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012(opens in a new tab)Sector page