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Auckland Council is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Health and Hygiene Bylaw 2013 and its Code of Practice.
The bylaw covers a range of personal services used by Aucklanders, including manicures, massage, tattooing and botox treatments.
Regulatory and Safety Committee chair Councillor Josephine Bartley says the review aims to ensure the rules continue to protect public health while reflecting current practices and risks.
“The proposed changes will help the council focus on areas where it can effectively prevent harm. That will mean introducing some new rules and removing some regulations where risk is low,” Bartley says.
Under the proposed changes, services that intentionally pierce, break or burn the skin would still require providers to hold a Council licence, while lower-risk services would instead require providers to have suitable qualifications.
Council says it would continue to respond with education and enforcement action if injuries occur in services that no longer require licensing.
Other proposed changes include updated hygiene and safety standards for higher-risk treatments, new rules for scarification, and requirements for all providers to hold recognised qualifications or alternative training such as apprenticeships.
The proposals would also allow Council to approve alternative safe practices, require water treatment plans for public swimming pools with repeated chemical balancing failures, and update rules around laser treatments, tattoo inks and sterilisation equipment.
As part of the review, the Council is also proposing to rename the bylaw to the “Services with Health and Safety Risks Bylaw 2026” to better reflect its scope.
Navigation Bylaw 2021
Auckland Council is proposing to make lifejackets compulsory on moving vessels under six metres as part of proposed changes to the region’s navigation rules.
Consultation is now underway on the Navigation Bylaw 2021 and associated controls, which set rules for Auckland’s harbours, rivers and coastal areas, including lifejacket use and where certain vessels can operate.
Council is proposing a series of amendments aimed at improving safety and keeping the rules up to date as technology and water use changes.
Bylaw review panel member Councillor Alf Filipaina says the proposed changes could help prevent boating-related drownings.
“We know the vast majority of boating fatalities in New Zealand happen on small boats, where the victim is not wearing a lifejacket. Even though they might have had one on board, accidents can happen very suddenly,” Filipaina says.
“Some people might find this rule inconvenient at first, as people did when mandatory seatbelts or bike helmets were introduced, but we have heard from many water safety organisations that this simple change will save lives.”
Current rules require people on vessels under six metres to wear a lifejacket unless the skipper gives permission for them not to. Council says the proposed changes would bring Auckland more in line with neighbouring regions, where lifejackets must be worn while vessels are underway.
Other proposed changes include new safety and speed rules for motorised hydrofoil boards and tow-foiling equipment, updated mooring licence rules, and new exclusion zones around Auckland Airport, the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Tāmaki River rowing precinct.
Council also proposes removing controls in some areas that are no longer heavily used.
Filipaina says public feedback will help shape the final bylaw.
“We want to hear from Aucklanders, whether you’re out on the water every weekend or enjoy it from the shore. Your feedback will help us strike the right balance between safety, access and enjoyment.”
Feedback for both proposals is open until Sunday, June 7. Visit AK Have Your Say for more information or to make a submission online. Feedback can also be provided in writing, in person or by phone.
