Notice is given, pursuant to the Legislation Act 2019, that the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (acting under delegated authority of the External Reporting Board) has issued the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (New Zealand) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements (“standard”).

The standard:

• was issued on 12 March 2026 under section 12(b) of the Financial Reporting Act 2013.

• takes effect on the 28th day after the date of this notice.

• is secondary legislation for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2019.

Commencement and application

The accounting periods in relation to which this standard commences to apply are:

1. for an early adopter, those accounting periods, following and including, the early adoption accounting period.
2. for any other assurance practitioner, those accounting periods following, and including, the first accounting period that begins on or after the mandatory date.

early adopter means an assurance practitioner that applies this standard for an early adoption accounting period.

early adoption accounting period means the accounting period:

1. that begins before the mandatory date but has not ended or does not end before this standard takes effect (and to avoid doubt, that period may have begun before this standard takes effect); and
2. for which the early adopter:
1. first applies this standard for an assurance engagement; and
2. discloses in the assurance report for that accounting period that this standard has been applied for that period.

mandatory date means 15 December 2026.

This standard is available on the website of the External Reporting Board at www.xrb.govt.nz.

Copies may also be inspected free of charge at the offices of the XRB, Level 6, 154 Featherston Street, Wellington.

This standard is administered by the External Reporting Board.

Dated this 12th day of March 2026.

GRAEME PINFOLD, Chair, New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.