Accessibility law · Asia-Pacific

New Zealand Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 → WCAG 2.2 AA

In New Zealand, the standard to meet is Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 → WCAG 2.2 AA. It binds public service departments and four other central agencies (Police, Defence Force, Parliamentary Counsel Office, NZSIS). This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 → WCAG 2.2 AA
Private sector
Partly
Accessibility statement
Not required
Next deadline
2027
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 55 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Public service departments and four other central agencies must make every public and internal web page they are responsible for meet WCAG 2.2 AA under the Web Accessibility Standard 1.2, in force since 17 March 2025, and must assess and report conformance when the Government Chief Digital Officer asks. There is no accessibility law for businesses; the Human Rights Act only bans disability discrimination in supplying goods and services, enforced through complaints. A broader Digital Accessibility Standard covering apps, documents, software and hardware is expected in early 2027.

  • Public sector

    Public service departments, the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, under a 2003 Cabinet directive. Other public bodies, such as Crown entities and local councils, are not named in the mandate. Government acts must also not discriminate, under Part 1A of the Human Rights Act.

  • Private sector

    Partly

    No digital accessibility obligation. Section 44 of the Human Rights Act 1993 makes it unlawful to refuse or treat someone less favorably because of disability when supplying goods, facilities or services to the public, but section 52 lets a supplier refuse or set more onerous terms if the disability requires a special manner of service that it cannot reasonably be expected to provide. The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill, criticized for lacking enforceable standards, was discharged on 14 August 2024.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Every public and internal web page a mandated agency is responsible for, including web apps.

  • Mobile apps

    Partly

    Web apps and single-page apps count as web pages; native mobile apps are not covered until the planned Digital Accessibility Standard.

  • Documents

    Not covered

    The standard covers web pages only; PDFs and other non-web documents are proposed for the Digital Accessibility Standard.

  • Software

    Not covered

    Not covered; the draft Digital Accessibility Standard would cover non-web software.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Not covered

    Not covered; the draft Digital Accessibility Standard would cover hardware, including kiosks.

  • Public procurement

    Unclear

    The Web Standards do not address procurement; the Government Procurement Rules were not checked.

Timeline

Deadlines

Next: 2027. The Digital Accessibility Standard is expected to be published in early 2027 and to replace the Web Accessibility Standard.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 2003 In force

    Cabinet directs public service and non-public service departments to apply the government web guidelines, now the Web Standards.

    Source

  2. 1 Jul 2019 In force

    Web Accessibility Standard 1.1 (WCAG 2.1 AA) takes effect.

    Source

  3. 14 Aug 2024 In force

    The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill is discharged and will not become law.

    Source

  4. 17 Mar 2025 In force

    Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 (WCAG 2.2 AA) and Web Usability Standard 1.4 take effect.

    Source

  5. Jun 2025 In force

    The GCDO starts scanning government websites with its automated checker, CWAC, and publishing the results.

    Source

  6. 13 Jul 2026 In force

    Public consultation on the draft Digital Accessibility Standard opens (it closed on 7 August 2026).

    Source

  7. 2027 Expected

    The Digital Accessibility Standard is expected to be published in early 2027 and to replace the Web Accessibility Standard.

    Source

Instruments

The law in New Zealand

5 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 1993

    Human Rights Act 1993

    ss. 20L, 21, 44, 52, 92B, 92I and 92M

    Bans disability discrimination in supplying goods, facilities and services to the public (s. 44), subject to a reasonableness exception (s. 52). Government acts are tested against s. 19 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (Part 1A). Names no technical standard; enforced through complaints and the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

    Primary source

  2. 2003

    Cabinet Minute CAB Min (03) 41/2B

    New Zealand Government Web Guidelines: Mandatory Requirements

    Directed public service and non-public service departments to implement the government web guidelines. It is still the legal basis for the Web Accessibility and Web Usability Standards.

    Primary source

  3. 2022

    Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill (153-2)

    Government bill, introduced 2022; discharged 14 August 2024

    Would have set up an Accessibility Committee to advise the Minister for Disability Issues on accessibility barriers. Critics, including National Party members of the select committee, said it lacked enforceable standards. It was discharged and never became law.

    Primary source

  4. Mar 2025 Latest

    NZ Government Web Accessibility Standard 1.2

    Government Chief Digital Officer; issued with the Web Usability Standard 1.4

    Every publicly and internally facing web page a mandated agency is responsible for must conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, with modified rules for complex maps, live captions and audio description, and an exemption for inactive pages. Agencies must assess, report and plan fixes when the GCDO asks.

    Primary source

  5. Jul 2026

    Digital Accessibility Standard (draft)

    GCDO public consultation, 13 July to 7 August 2026

    Proposed replacement for the Web Accessibility Standard, likely to cover all ICT: websites, mobile apps, non-web documents, software and hardware such as kiosks. Which agencies it will bind is not yet confirmed. Expected in early 2027.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) for the Web Standards; the Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Review Tribunal for discrimination.

  • How

    When notified by the GCDO, each mandated agency must assess its websites against the standard, report conformance, and submit a risk assessment and risk management plan. Since June 2025 the GCDO also scans government websites with its automated checker (CWAC) and publishes the results on data.govt.nz. Discrimination complaints go to the Human Rights Commission and can then go to the Tribunal.

  • Penalties

    The Web Standards carry no penalties. Under the Human Rights Act the Tribunal can make declarations and restraining orders, order the defendant to redress loss or to undertake training or adopt policies, and award damages, including for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings; the Act sets no fixed amounts.

  • Individuals

    Yes, for discrimination: a person can complain to the Human Rights Commission and bring civil proceedings in the Human Rights Review Tribunal, and the Commission can bring proceedings for a class of people. The Act does not mention WCAG, so a claim must show discrimination, not just a failed success criterion.

Accessibility statement

No statement is required

Not required

Not required. The Web Usability Standard 1.4 requires contact details (including a link to the NZ Relay service), a copyright statement and privacy statements, but no accessibility statement. The government says accessibility statements will be considered under the new Digital Accessibility Standard.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • Complex visual maps need no equivalent text alternative, but their data should be published in open formats on data.govt.nz.
  • Inactive web pages: no longer needed, not updated, marked as inactive and offering an accessible version on request.
  • Live captions are a 'should', and a 'must' only for high-stakes information not published as text at the same time.
  • Audio description is a 'should' for prerecorded video published on or after 17 March 2025, and a 'must' for high-stakes information or services.
  • Human Rights Act s. 52: a supplier need not provide a service in a special manner it cannot reasonably be expected to provide.

The standard

What WCAG 2.2 Level AA asks for

55 success criteria: 31 at Level A and 24 at Level AA.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.2 Level AA: 55 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    No accessibility standard applies to businesses. The Human Rights Act bans refusing a service or treating someone less favorably because of disability, but a supplier is not in breach if the person needs a special manner of service that it cannot reasonably be expected to provide. Complaints go to the Human Rights Commission.

  • Do councils and Crown entities have to comply?

    Not under the current Web Standards, which name only public service departments, the Police, the Defence Force, the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the NZSIS. The government has said it will recommend that the new Digital Accessibility Standard apply to more public sector organizations, but which ones is not yet confirmed.

  • Which WCAG version do government sites need?

    WCAG 2.2 Level AA since 17 March 2025, under the Web Accessibility Standard 1.2. It replaced version 1.1, which required WCAG 2.1 AA from 1 July 2019.

  • Is there an Accessibility for New Zealanders Act?

    No. The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill was reported back by select committee but discharged on 14 August 2024, so it never became law.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

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