NZ gift card law 2026: the 3-year minimum expiry, explained

Since 16 March 2026, every gift card and voucher sold in New Zealand must stay redeemable for at least 3 years. Here’s what that means for activity operators — and what to check on your system today.

General information for NZ operators — not legal advice. Official sources linked below.

The law at a glance

Three numbers cover most of it.

16 March 2026

The day the law took effect. Every gift card or voucher sold in NZ on or after this date must comply.

3 years minimum

Vouchers must stay redeemable for at least 3 years from the date of purchase. Longer — or no expiry at all — is fine.

Up to NZ$30,000

Penalties for non-compliance: up to NZ$10,000 for an individual, up to NZ$30,000 for a body corporate.

Dates and penalty figures per the legislation at legislation.govt.nz and guidance from Consumer Protection New Zealand, checked Jul 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

What it means in practice

The rule is simple, but the edges catch people out. Four things worth being clear on:

Every voucher you sell is covered

Digital gift cards and printed paper vouchers alike — the format doesn’t matter. If it was sold on or after 16 March 2026, it needs the 3-year floor. If you also sell through third-party platforms and deal sites, check what expiry they apply to vouchers in your name — the official guidance covers how third-party sales are treated.

The clock runs from the date of purchase

The 3 years run from when the voucher is sold — check the official guidance for edge cases like delayed delivery. A gift card sold on 1 December 2026 must stay redeemable until at least 1 December 2029.

Three years is a floor, not a ceiling

A 5-year expiry, or no expiry date at all, is perfectly fine — and plenty of operators use longer terms as a selling point. What you can’t do is sell a voucher that expires sooner than 3 years.

It applies at the moment of sale

If your booking system’s default voucher expiry is still set to 6 or 12 months, every gift card going out the door may be non-compliant — even if you’d happily honour it for longer. The terms it’s sold with are what count, which is why the checklist below starts with your settings.

15-minute audit

Four things to check today

Whatever system you’re on, this is the quick compliance pass.

1

Your default expiry setting

Open your booking or gift-card system and find the voucher expiry default. If it’s set to 6, 12 or 24 months, change it to at least 3 years (36 months) before you sell another voucher.

2

Vouchers sold since 16 March 2026

Export your voucher sales from 16 March 2026 onwards and check the expiry each one carries. If any expire in under 3 years, extend them in your system, let the holders know, and check the Consumer Protection guidance on how to put past sales right.

3

Printed terms and templates

Paper vouchers behind the counter, gift-card email templates, the terms page on your website — anywhere the words “valid for 12 months” survive in print, they need updating too.

4

Marketplace and third-party vouchers

If you sell through deal platforms, check what expiry they apply to vouchers in your name — the official guidance covers how third-party sales are treated. And see our guide to Bookme and direct bookings for how marketplace and direct channels fit together.

If you’re choosing a system anyway

Compliance is easiest when the software won’t let you get it wrong.

Compliant by default

Gift cards in GoodKeen enforce the 3-year minimum: set a longer expiry if you like — anything shorter (or left blank) is raised to the legal minimum automatically.
Balances, partial redemptions and expiry dates are tracked per card — no spreadsheet on the side.
Gift cards are included on every plan — including Free — with 0% booking fees. See pricing.

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Switching with vouchers on the books?

Outstanding vouchers are the part of switching systems everyone dreads. We’ll help you move — import your customers from a CSV, and we’ll migrate your existing gift cards and vouchers (code, balance and expiry) with you.

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Frequently asked questions

The 3-year minimum expiry applies to gift cards and vouchers sold in New Zealand on or after 16 March 2026. Anything sold from that date must be redeemable for at least 3 years from the date of purchase.

Yes. The rule applies however a voucher is sold — printed paper vouchers and digital gift cards alike need the 3-year minimum. The format doesn’t matter; the sale date does. If you sell through third-party platforms, check what expiry they apply to vouchers in your name — the official guidance covers how third-party sales are treated.

The minimum applies to gift cards sold on or after 16 March 2026. Vouchers sold before then generally keep the terms they were sold with — though honouring them for longer is good customer service, and many operators choose to.

Yes. Three years is a floor, not a ceiling — a 5-year expiry, or no expiry date at all, is perfectly fine under the law.

Penalties run up to NZ$10,000 for an individual and up to NZ$30,000 for a body corporate. See legislation.govt.nz or Consumer Protection New Zealand for the details of how they apply.

Gift cards sold through GoodKeen carry at least a 3-year expiry: set a longer expiry if you like — anything shorter (or left blank) is raised to the legal minimum automatically. Balances, partial redemptions and expiry dates are tracked per card.