Passing Processing Fees onto Participants is Not Allowed in New Zealand

In May 2022 the The Retail Payment System Act passed in NZ, with enforcement starting in Nov 2022. This brings the NZ surcharging rules in line with Australia - which essentially means that 'appropriate' surcharging can only be the reasonable cost of the merchant. The ruling is regulated in NZ by the Commerce Commission of NZ. There is some grey area in the rules which will allow for a 'ticketing' fee or similar to be charged, however this would have to be a fixed cost fee and not percentage based, separated out from any surcharge costs and disclosed wherever prices are displayed.

Here is an example: 

A ticket seller prices its tickets at $40. The seller also pre-selects $5 ticket insurance, and imposes a mandatory booking fee of $3 per ticket on all customers whether they purchase over the phone, internet or in person. A purchase also attracts 15 per cent GST. 

This could be advertised as: 

• $55.80
• $55.80 (including $5 ticket insurance, $3 booking fee and 15% GST) 
• $48 + $4.80 = $55.80
• $40 + $5 ticket insurance + $3 booking fee + $7.20 GST = $55.80

A prominent single price is one that is clear and stands out so that it is easily noticed by a consumer. What is 'prominent' may vary on a case-by-case basis and you should consider factors such as the advertising medium, size, placement, colour and font of the price, as well as the background of the advertisement. For example, in print advertising, if a single price is smaller or in a colour that is harder to read than any component price, then this is likely to mean that it is not as prominent. 

Race Roster Fee Calculator 

The specific mechanics of the above laws do not mean that you cannot include your applicable costs, including Race Roster fees, in your pricing schedule. 

We have provided this tool that will allow you to enter the price or amount that you want to receive AFTER Race Roster deducts its fees. 

Additional Pricing Text 

If you wish to follow one of the formats above for pricing advertising, we suggest that you add this into your sub-event descriptions.