The New Zealand government has published a series of reforms as part of an initiative to revitalise the economy and strengthen the SME ecosystem. The reforms are designed to facilitate the prompt payment of bills by all public bodies and the adoption of technology to enhance operational efficiency.
As stated by the Ministry of Small Business and Industry, the objective is to enhance economic productivity and efficiency within the public sector, facilitate the optimisation of internal processes in public agencies to expedite the disbursement of payments and mitigate the accumulation of bureaucratic constraints.
It is evident that public bodies represent a significant source of revenue for numerous businesses in New Zealand. Consequently, the speed of payment can be pivotal for small businesses, as it is estimated that the non-payment of an invoice can be the determining factor in whether or not a business is able to meet its payroll obligations.
With regard to payment times, the objective is to promote the mandatory use of B2G electronic invoicing in New Zealand and to phase out the use of paper or PDF invoices sent via email.
With regard to e-invoicing in New Zealand, Regulation 51 of the Public Procurement Act will be amended with the intention of encouraging companies to adopt e-invoicing and comply with reduced payment times.
It is the intention of the New Zealand government that, as of 1 January 2026, those public bodies that process more than 2,000 invoices per year will begin to implement electronic invoicing systems and make their payments within a maximum of five working days.
In the interim period, an explicit requirement will be set for approximately 135 public bodies to pay 90% of all domestic invoices within 10 working days, effective from 1 January 2025. The percentage will be increased to 95% with effect from 1 January 2026.
Status of e-invoicing in New Zealand: from ANZ PEPPOL BIS to PINT A-NZ
The adoption of e-invoicing through the PEPPOL network plays a pivotal role in the international digitalisation process. Due to its extensive acceptance, continuous improvement and the benefits it offers, it has considerably enhanced business operations in Oceania.
In early 2023, OpenPeppol introduced PEPPOL PINT, a voluntary specification that became mandatory as a result of a decision made by the PEPPOL Authority. Examples of countries that have implemented PEPPOL PINT include Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
In a similar progression, the New Zealand PEPPOL authorities evaluated the potential for transitioning from the extant specification, ANZ PEPPOL BIS 3.0, to a novel specification (PINT A-NZ). This prospective specification is anticipated to become the mandatory version within a two-year timeframe.
According to the New Zealand PEPPOL authority, the transition was to take place in three phases: preparation, implementation, and withdrawal.
The preparation phase commenced in December 2023 with the publication of the A-NZ specification. During this phase, stakeholders will be afforded the opportunity to review the proposed changes and prepare for the adoption of the new specification, while the ANZ PEPPOL BIS 3.0 specification remains mandatory.
In the second phase, the implementation phase, which commenced in April 2024, the responsibility for the PINT A-NZ search and forwarding capability falls upon the issuers. At the conclusion of this phase, all receivers will be required to register in order to receive the PINT A-NZ specification.
The final phase of the transition, the retirement phase, is scheduled to commence in April 2025. By this date, all users must be able to exchange e-invoices in New Zealand with the PINT A-NZ specification, as it will be the only one supported for sending and receiving invoices and credit notes.
What is the difference from one specification to another?
The main alterations between ANZ PEPPOL BIS 3.0 and PINT A-NZ consist of new specifications and values for business process identifiers, as well as the addition of a new document type identifier scheme with the moniker of the wildcard scheme.
Moreover, business rules have been updated, with new rule identifiers being introduced, while some have been streamlined or eradicated altogether. Additionally, rules that were once classified as "warning" severity level have been abolished.
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