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The Children’s Advertising Code and Food and Beverage Advertising Code are now in full effect

1 November 2024

Following extensive consultation and industry training, two new Codes are now in force for advertising targeting New Zealanders.

Food and Beverage Advertising Code

  • Replaces the existing provisions in the Advertising Standards Code
  • The new Food and Beverage Code extends consumer protections, ensuring a high standard of social responsibility to all consumers
  • The Code strengthens rules around Occasional Food and Beverage products, preventing targeting of these products to children, and restricting product and brand sponsorship advertisements

Children’s Advertising Code 

  • The Code replaces the previous Children and Young People’s Advertising Code
  • Extends the ASA’s definition of a child to under 16
  • Expands the definition of advertising targeting children
  • Ensures ads targeted at children do not encourage unsafe practices, promote bullying, encourage peer pressure or unhealthy body images, or include content that is not age-appropriate for children

Advertising Standards Code

  • The existing Advertising Standards Code has been updated to remove Rule 1(h) Health and Wellbeing, and Rule 2(g) Food and Beverage Claims. These rules are now covered in the new Food and Beverage Code.

The new Codes apply to advertising in all media. To support industry compliance, a range of resources have been developed and are available on the ASA website. If you are interested in additional training on the new Codes, please contact us.