133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
20 September 2022
Patrick Dunford
By email: [FYI request #20325 email]
Ref: H2022010963
Tēnā koe Patrick
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to Manatū Hauora
(Ministry of Health) on 24 August 2022. You requested:
My request concerns the public safety requirements for sanitation equipment in registered
premises such as cafes, restaurants and rest homes which are in place to limit the spread
of disease through personal items such as dishes, cups and clothes that are washed in
equipment that shares its operating space and cleaning or drying media such as water or
air between the items.
Currently there is a requirement for premises of this type to have where appropriate
installed dishwashing equipment that can maintain a regulated temperature for a
regulated minimum period of time to ensure that pathogens that can be transmitted
through water or air are killed to a reasonable degree to prevent the spread of disease
through the use of common equipment that shares water or air in the course of sanitising
the items.
Is there currently any similar requirement for clothes drying equipment used in registered
premises to maintain a specific air temperature for a specific time period in order to
prevent the spread of disease through clothing being washed in shared equipment using
shared water supplies.
We have interpreted your request for clothes drying equipment requirements in ‘registered
premises’ as a reference to rest homes. If you would like more information about cafes,
restaurant and other premises, you may wish to seek information from the Ministry of Primary
Industries (MPI).
There is no prescribed or specific air temperature or time period for clothes drying equipment
requirements for rest homes in the Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard NZS
8134:2021 (Ngā Paerewa).
However, aged residential care (ARC) providers are required to be certified under the Health
and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001 and to meet Ngā paerewa health and disability
standard NZS 8134:2021 (Ngā Paerewa). Ngā Paerewa includes a section on infection
prevention and antimicrobial stewardship requirements (section 5 of Ngā Paerewa). ARC
providers are audited against Ngā Paerewa on a regular basis.
As part of the audit, auditors check laundry services to ensure they are meeting the infection
control section.
For further information about Ngā Paerewa please see the link to Manatū Hauora’s website:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/certification-health-care-
services/services-standard and to view them on the Standards New Zealand website:
www.standards.govt.nz/shop/nzs-81342021/.
I trust this information fulfils your request. Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to
ask the Ombudsman to review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may
be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Manatū Hauroa website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests. Nāku noa, nā
Ruihua Gu
Acting Group Manager
Quality Assurance and Safety
Regulatory Services
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