Minister for Regulation David Seymour has initiated a review of the hairdresser sector to remove ‘red tape’ and outdated regulations.

“The review will seek to give the industry a regulatory ‘buzz cut’, as barbers and hairdressers deal with regulations which have been out of style since the 80s,” said Seymour.

These rules include whether salons are allowed to give customers coffee with haircuts or whether dogs are allowed in salons, rules which are frustrating for business owners and customers, he explained.

According to Seymour, Hairdressers and barbers make up a billion-dollar industry of more than 5000 businesses employing around 13,000 people. 

Calls for removing “absurd” hairdresser and barber rules have grown over the past years but have not been answered, he added.

Meanwhile, several hairdressers told RNZ they did not know some salon rules that could be repealed even existede.

“To be honest, no one in my industry that I know knew that we weren’t allowed to serve drinks to clients,” said Matt Forsman, the owner of Matt Forsman Hair in Wellington.

Lifting such regulations would not create any significant changes, he continued, adding that regulators should make it easier for hairdressers to set up new premises instead.

The Ministry for Regulation will work with the Ministry of Health in this review, which is expected to be complete in the first quarter of next year.