Cigarette and utility lighters standard
Lighters can pose risks if they are not made correctly or children play with them. Novelty lighters are banned and cigarette lighters must meet set requirements.
About the standard
A number of children have died in fires caused by playing with lighters. The cigarette lighter standard demands that disposable lighters (and cheap refillable ones) are child resistant. This means they are harder to use, not that a child can't use them.
Fire safety – lighters, matches and children's pyjamas
The standard applies to:
- all disposable cigarette lighters, and
- refillable cigarette lighters that have an ex-Customs value of less than NZ$3.50.
Generally this means that novelty lighters that sell at retail for less than NZ$15.00 will be included in the standard.
The standard doesn't apply to utility lighters — that is, lighters designed specifically for lighting barbecues, gas stoves etc.