LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

Written By Spiros Dassakis

NEXTGEN EXPERTS | POOL & SPA INDUSTRY UPDATE
3 October 2026 · Australia & New Zealand
Reporting period: 27 September–3 October 2026

Card surcharges: review every payment channel

Australia’s new card surcharge arrangements commenced on 1 October 2026. Visa, Mastercard and eftpos have introduced no-surcharge rules following the RBA’s changes, with American Express also removing surcharging. The obligations operate through card network rules and merchant arrangements. RBA

Pool builders, retailers and service businesses should check terminals, online payments, invoice links and contract wording. Renaming a card-linked surcharge an “administration fee” does not resolve the issue. Review future pricing transparently and confirm applicable exceptions with the payment provider. The ACCC addresses consumer-law conduct; card networks and payment providers enforce their no-surcharge rules. ACCC

New Zealand pool warnings: the transition has ended

From 29 September 2026, manufacturers and retailers must use the updated warning notices for new pools capable of holding water at least 400 mm deep, including relevant portable pools and spas. MBIE specifies product, packaging and online display requirements. Building Performance

Suppliers selling into New Zealand should audit listings, packaging and spa labels immediately. The prescribed wording and presentation matter, and pool and spa notices differ. The underlying document is the Building (Pool Manufacturers and Retailers) Notice 2025, Gazette notice 2025-go1667. For more visit: MBIE’s current guidance. Building Performance

Slips, trips and falls: a new resource for practical training

Safe Work Australia released its Guide to managing the risks of slips, trips and falls and accompanying hazard checklist on 29 September 2026. This is guidance rather than a new national legislative commencement. Applicable workplace duties remain jurisdiction-specific. Safe Work Australia

For our industry, the practical application is a review of wet plant rooms, hoses and cables, uneven access and temporary work areas. NextGen Experts recommends using the checklist during inspections and toolbox discussions, then recording who will fix each issue and when. Training should include a realistic pool servicing scenario.

Tasmania: final livable housing phase now applies

Under clause 4(3) of the Director’s Determination, the final phase of NCC Part H8 commenced on 1 October 2026 for new Class 1a building work, subject to exemptions and applicable transition arrangements. The determination also references Building Act 2016, s 11(5). cbos.tas.gov.au

The pool-sector implication is coordination: pool layouts, landscaping and ancillary works should account for required dwelling access. This does not establish a general accessible-pool requirement. NextGen Experts recommends confirming approved access routes before fixing pool positions or altering levels.

Earlier developments to keep on the work program

Victoria — inspection evidence and pool drainage. The BPC’s August guidance describes Form 26 delivery within 10 days after applying for a permit number, and inspection records to council within seven days of inspection. Its NCC 2025 discussion identifies G1D5 and H2D2(2) as a limited pumped pool-discharge pathway involving AS/NZS 3500.2 and utility permission. Retain inspection evidence and confirm the applicable NCC edition and drainage pathway. Building and Plumbing Commission

Queensland — update electrical references. The Electrical Safety Office describes the remade Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 as restructuring and clarification without new underlying policy obligations. For more visit: WorkSafe.qld.gov.au

Western Australia — evidence behind approvals. The 2026–27 Proactive Audit Priorities Statement, printed pages 3–4, includes residential performance solutions and checks that constructed outcomes match approved designs. This is an audit program rather than a new technical standard. NextGen Experts’ practical recommendation for pool-related work within affected developments is to retain approved plans, variations and supporting compliance evidence. wa.gov.au

Standards — water quality consultation. Standards Australia’s public register lists AS 3633, Residential and public pools—Water quality, for public comment. Businesses should review the draft and prepare specific technical comments. Proposed provisions should not be treated as current mandatory requirements. For more visit: Standards Australia

New Zealand — future health and safety changes. WorkSafe’s guidance published 17 September 2026 identifies changes taking effect on 1 April 2027, including critical-risk and business-size concepts. Review the official guidance when planning New Zealand training and risk systems, keeping current and future obligations clearly separated. WorkSafe

Priority actions

  • Now: check card payment channels and surcharge wording; audit New Zealand pool and spa warnings.

  • Before affected Tasmanian works: confirm dwelling access, exemptions and transition status.

  • This week: use the new slips, trips and falls checklist in a site or servicing inspection.

  • Before the next report or training update: check electrical citations, inspection evidence and pool drainage requirements.

  • Ahead of 1 April 2027: review New Zealand’s published HSWA transition guidance.

Need clarity or support?

NextGen Experts provides practical, independent advice on contracts, compliance, technical issues, disputes and business operations across the swimming pool and spa industry. If you need help understanding a change or deciding what to do next, please reach out.

www.nextgenexperts.com.au | info@nextgenexperts.com.au | 0449 065 841

Spiros Dassakis
Principal Consultant | NextGen Experts
www.nextgenexperts.com.au

Spiros Dassakis
Who We Are

Experience that brings context, judgement and perspective

NextGen Experts is an independent specialist consultancy providing technical, commercial, regulatory and dispute-related support across the swimming pool and spa industry and related sectors.

Our work draws on more than two decades of industry experience spanning construction, servicing, standards, regulation, education, business operations, governance and dispute resolution.

That breadth matters. Many issues cannot be understood by looking at a contract, standard or technical requirement in isolation. They need to be considered in the context of how the industry operates, how work is delivered, what the regulatory framework requires and what is reasonable in practice.

NextGen Experts brings that broader perspective to every engagement.

What We Bring

Industry Experience: Practical experience across pool and spa construction, servicing, maintenance, products, suppliers, contractors, consumers and industry organisations.

Technical & Regulatory Knowledge: A detailed understanding of standards, compliance requirements, regulation and industry practice, together with experience interpreting how those requirements apply in real-world situations.

Executive & Commercial Experience: Senior executive experience across industry operations, governance, membership organisations, commercial strategy, training, stakeholder engagement and organisational development.

Standards & Industry Representation: Longstanding participation in Australian and Australian/New Zealand Standards

development, including committee leadership, technical contribution and industry representation across a broad range of pool, spa and related standards.

Expert Reports & Dispute Support: Independent technical assessment, expert reports, review of competing technical opinions and dispute support for lawyers, insurers, builders, suppliers and consumers where swimming pool and spa issues need to be properly investigated, understood and clearly explained.

About Spiros Dassakis

NextGen Experts is led by Spiros Dassakis, who has worked across the swimming pool and spa industry for more than 20 years.

His experience includes senior executive roles with the Swimming Pool & Spa Association, extensive involvement in Australian Standards development, industry representation, regulatory engagement, education and training, business advisory work and dispute-related matters.

Spiros has contributed to more than 30 Australian and Australian/New Zealand Standards and has participated in standards development since 2008. His contribution to Standards Australia was recognised for 20 years of service and participation.

He also established IRLearning, a registered training organisation developed to support industry education, skills development and nationally recognised training.

Through his executive and industry roles, Spiros has worked with builders, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers, regulators, government agencies, industry associations, lawyers, insurers and consumers.

That experience now underpins the work of NextGen Experts.

Practical Experience Beyond the Textbook

NextGen Experts is not limited to providing a technical interpretation of an issue.

Our role is often to bring together the contract, technical requirements, standards, regulation, industry practice, available evidence and practical circumstances to help clients understand the issue and determine an appropriate way forward.

Whether the matter involves construction, compliance, a product, a dispute, industry policy, standards development, training or business operations, the focus remains the same:

Understand the issue. Establish the position. Provide practical direction.

https://www.nextgenexperts.com.au