Lead-Free Plumbing Products

From May 2026, all plumbing products that come into contact with drinking water are required to be lead-free

The new ‘lead-free’ plumbing product requirements follow an update to the New Zealand Building Code. 

Only products with a lead content of 0.25% or less are allowed to be installed after 1 May 2026. 

The aim is to better protect New Zealanders from potential lead exposure through tapware that contains brass fittings, which can leach small amounts of lead into drinking water.

Lead is a harmful toxin that can affect many parts of the body and is particularly harmful to young children and pregnant women.

Stainless steel tapware is safe, as it contains no lead.

What does this mean for me?

These changes don’t mean your existing tapware is necessarily unsafe. However, the Ministry of Health recommends you flush a cup of water from your drinking water tap each morning, before use, to remove any metals that may have dissolved from the plumbing fittings overnight.

If you’re undertaking repairs or renovations, or building from scratch, new or replacement plumbing fittings must meet lead-free requirements.

The good news is that most reputable manufacturers already offer lead-free tapware ranges that comply with the new standards.

How do I know if a product is lead-free?

Only products with a lead content of 0.25% or less are allowed to be installed after May 2026. 

Make sure you purchase tapware from reputable suppliers—your plumber can make recommendations.

Take particular care if you are considering buying products online through international retailers, as they may not meet New Zealand’s new lead-free regulations.

If a product is not easily identifiable as lead-free, your plumber will not be able to install it for you.

Look for an approved lead-free certification on product packaging, such as WaterMark. Some products also carry an etched lead-free marking.

Products with a Master Plumbers Recommended Lead Free label are all certified lead-free.

The WaterMark logo
Look for the AS/NZS 4020 on product packaging

Tapware with the WaterMark logo
This Englefield tap features a laser-etched WaterMark, indicating it complies with lead-free standards

Master Plumbers Recommended
Lead Free Product Labelling
Learn More

For more information

NEWS: Get ready now for the lead-free plumbing product deadline

New Zealand manufacturers and suppliers have been working hard behind the scenes to ready themselves for the new lead-free rules that come into effect on 1 May 2026.

NEWS: New Consumer NZ test reveals danger of unregulated online plumbing products

Master Plumbers’ concerns that cheap online plumbing products will not comply with new regulations to make drinking water safer have proven justified.

NEWS: Master Plumbers calls for compulsory lead-free labelling

Master Plumbers calls for compulsory lead-free labelling