The Act requires that since 1 October 2023, distributors of smoked tobacco products notify the Director-General of Health that they are selling smoked tobacco products at wholesale, and what type of products they are selling. To submit a notification:
- Go to HARP
- Click on 'Log in'
- Enter existing My Health Account username and password (If you need to create a new account please refer to Creating your account).
If it's your first time accessing HARP you will be asked to provide consent for HARP to access details of your account.
- Click ‘Allow’
- Click on ‘Manufacturer/Importer/Distributor/Retailer’
- Complete the online form.
Your access request will be processed within 5–10 working days. After the assessment you will receive an email stating the access registration has been completed.
Once your account is confirmed, you then need to log in HARP, select ‘new submission’ and then under ‘VRA Applications’ select ‘Regulated Product Seller (RPS) Notification’ form. Complete the form and provide details of the products you intend to sell in New Zealand. You will be asked to state whether you will be selling at wholesale and/or retail, and you will need to select which of the product types you intend to sell from the following options:
- Herbal Smoking Products
- Smoked Tobacco Products
- Smokeless Tobacco Product
- Vaping Products
You are required to re-notify on an annual basis to ensure that market information is kept up to date and there is an assessment fee of $80+GST (plus card processing fees if paying by debit/credit card), for each notification. Once payment has been processed your notification will become visible on your HARP dashboard. We may also publish a list of businesses selling regulated products on the Ministry of Health website.
Note: Each person that sells notifiable products must submit a Regulated Product Seller (RPS) Notification. A person that sells notifiable products from more than one store only needs to complete one Regulated Product Seller (RPS) Notification. Note that a ‘person’ can be an individual (natural person) or a corporate (legal) entity.