Commission warns tradespeople not to register

Commission warns tradespeople not to register

The Commerce Commission is alerting businesses to the activities of a company calling itself Trade Registrations NZ Ltd and is concerned that the scheme it is promoting may not be legitimate.

Trade Registrations NZ Ltd has been promoting the New Zealand Trade Register to tradespeople as an online solution to help all sectors access quality trade services. The company has been sending unsolicited letters with registration and business forms to tradespeople, inviting them to register for a fee of $174 + GST.

In April, following enquiries from members of the building industry, the Ministry of Economic Development released a media statement asserting that the NZ Trade Register was not a government register and that it had no connection with current proposals for regulatory reform of the building industry.

The Government of Western Australia also released a warning in February this year about what appears to be the same scheme, being run in Australia as the Australian Trade Register. The Commission has reason to believe the same individual is behind both registers.

Director of Fair Trading Deborah Battell said that it appears that the company is now targeting New Zealanders. The Commission believes the company is misleading tradespeople and that it is passing itself off as an official government register, in breach of the Fair Trading Act.

“The Commission has evidence to suggest that tradespeople have already been deceived and that another mailout was planned for today,” she added. “Tradespeople should not be fooled by the approach and are advised not to register.”

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