Approved Products Certified Overseas

Approved Products Certified Overseas is a part of three pathways introduced by the Building Amendment Act 2025 to provide New Zealanders with:

• more choice of building products, and
• healthier, safer and more durable buildings while costing less.

Building Amendment Act 2025 – legislation.govt.nz

What are Approved Products Certified Overseas?

Approved Products Certified Overseas are certified building products or methods recognised by the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Recognised products will be deemed to comply with the Building Code and must be accepted for use by building consent authorities (BCAs), when they both are:

• used as intended including any conditions or limitations of recognition
• supported by the required technical information.

Figure 1: Where Approved Products Certified Overseas fits in the Building Code regulatory framework

Text description for figure 1

Benefits

Approved Products Certified Overseas provides several benefits to the wider sector:

• A robust way to show an overseas building product or method meets the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code.
• More choice of Building Code compliant products or methods for designers, specifiers and consumers.
• An opportunity for overseas manufacturers and suppliers to import to Aotearoa New Zealand, as Approved Products Certified Overseas will have a greater level of market acceptance since they are deemed to comply with the Building Code.
• Consistency and certainty during the consenting process as recognised products and methods must be accepted by all BCAs.
• Consumers can have confidence in Approved Products Certified Overseas as the overseas certification scheme ensures robust quality assurance processes for certified products and methods (including evaluation, testing and surveillance).

How the recognition process works

MBIE will evaluate building products or building methods certified under an overseas product certification scheme.

If MBIE is satisfied that those products or methods meet criteria to be set out in new regulations, it recognises the products on behalf of MBIE’s Chief Executive.

MBIE’s process for recognition will include:

• an evaluation of the product certification scheme to ensure it is accredited as meeting appropriate standards by an accreditation body, and has robust processes for:
  • evaluating, certifying, and monitoring building products or methods
  • ensuring certifiers act impartially and independently from product manufacturers and suppliers
  • staff carry out their roles with integrity and professionalism.
• determining that product certificates, and any associated information are accessible and contain enough technical detail so Aotearoa New Zealand users can understand how the product or method will perform in relation to its intended use
• ensuring there is no warning or ban in place for the product or method (either in Aotearoa New Zealand or overseas), and the certification body had not had its accreditation suspended or revoked under section 264 of the Building Act (the CodeMark scheme)
• there is sufficient evidence that the product or method would comply with the Building Code when used as intended (including any conditions or limitations of recognition).

If a product or method is recognised on behalf of MBIE’s Chief Executive, MBIE will publish a recognition notice. The recognition notice will include any relevant limitations and conditions.

A BCA must accept a recognition notice as evidence of compliance with the Building Code, if every relevant limitation and condition of the recognition is complied with.

This puts the Approved Products Certified Overseas recognition notice at the same level of compliance as (among other forms of evidence) a CodeMark product certificate, a determination, or a MultiProof approval.

Get a product recognised

MBIE is taking a measured approach in implementing this new deemed to comply pathway.

Currently, plumbing and drainage products certified under the Australian WaterMark certification scheme are being evaluated for possible recognition. This is because Australia (which has a similar regulatory environment to Aotearoa New Zealand) mandates Watermark certification for specific plumbing and drainage products.

We are also in the process of developing an application process for Approved Product Certified Overseas recognition. When released in 2026, product manufacturers, suppliers and importers of building products or methods with overseas certification can apply directly to MBIE for recognition.

Recognition notices

All current Approved Product Certified Overseas recognition notices are on the recognition notices page. You can use them in a building consent application from 1 October 2025.

Each recognition notice shows certain product certificate details, including the responsible product certification body, the certificate number, and the conditions and limitations of how you must use the notice.

Make sure you check the recognition notice to ensure you are complying with any:

• conditions or limitations of recognition
• additional technical information including the product certificate and supporting information (for example, installation requirements).

For all current recognition notices and how to use them in a building consent application, go to:

Recognition notices for Approved Products Certified Overseas

Self assessment and Expression of Interest

MBIE is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from manufacturers, suppliers or importers interested in using the Approved Products Certified Overseas pathway for their building products or building methods.

The EOI process is designed to be completed in two stages.

1. Self assessment

Applicants provide key information about the product and its overseas certification to confirm whether baseline requirements are likely to be met.

2. Expression of Interest

Where the self assessment indicates potential suitability, applicants may choose to progress to an EOI and provide additional detail for further consideration.

The Expression of Interest helps us understand:

• the building product/s you wish to use for this pathway and relevant details for the building product/s
• the overseas certification scheme it is certified under.

Based on the information provided, one of the following outcomes may occur:

• the product may be identified as suitable to proceed to the next stage and MBIE will reach out to you requesting a formal application when applications are open
• additional information or clarification of your information may be requested
• the product may be deemed as not meeting basic eligibility requirements and is not suitable for further consideration

MBIE will be releasing further communication to inform the sector about what product categories we will look to open to applications for.

Building Products must already be certified under an overseas product certification scheme.

Submitting an EOI, does not mean a product is approved or accepted.

More information

Find out more about overseas product pathways

• Resources on the new overseas products pathways
• Manufacturers and importers and the new overseas products pathways
• Wholesalers, retailers and distributors and the new overseas products pathways
• How BCAs work with the new overseas products pathways
• How designers, specifiers and architects work with the new overseas products pathways

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