Who tests, who removes, who clears
Five parties touch an asbestos job done properly, and only one of them is us. We book it, price it and stay your contact. A competent surveyor takes the sample. An IANZ-accredited laboratory analyses it. A WorkSafe-licensed partner removes anything positive. Someone independent of that partner clears the area and issues the certificate.
Us — NZ Asbestos Removal
We take the booking, publish the price, brief the surveyor, put the removal quote together and stay your single point of contact from the first form to the clearance certificate. We are not a licence holder and we do not do site work.
A competent surveyor
Takes the sample at the property: wetted down, sealed, in a labelled bag, with notes on the material's condition and extent. WorkSafe's guidance is that sampling should be done by a competent person, which is why we send one instead of selling a kit.
An IANZ-accredited laboratory
Analyses the sample and issues the report. You get that document unedited. Where a PCBU arranges analysis, reg 11 requires an accredited laboratory; we use one either way.
A WorkSafe-licensed remover
Does any removal, under a licence appropriate to the class of work (reg 27). Their name, licence class and licence number are on your quote before you accept anything.
An independent clearance provider
Inspects the area after removal and issues the clearance certificate. A licensed asbestos assessor for Class A work, an independent competent person otherwise (reg 41). Engaged and paid separately from the remover.
We are not a licence holder. NZ Asbestos Removal is not a WorkSafe asbestos licence holder. Removal we arrange is carried out by licensed partners named, with their licence class and number, on each quote.
The order things happen in
From the booking form to the clearance certificate. Every step that has a legal requirement behind it carries its regulation number.
- 1
Book the test
$249 including GST for the visit and one sample, extra samples $85 each. You tell us the address, the material, where it is and whether it is damaged.
- 2
A surveyor visits
We come back within 2 working days with times from the partner surveyor in your region. They take the sample. If more are needed, they ask you on site first.
- 3
The laboratory answers
An IANZ-accredited laboratory analyses the sample (reg 11). We send you their report, unedited, with a plain-English note on what it means.
- 4
One fixed removal quote
If it is positive and you want it gone, we send a fixed written price within 5 working days. It names the remover, their licence class and number, and who is doing the clearance. Valid 30 days.
- 5
Notification, then removal
A licensed remover must notify WorkSafe in writing at least 5 days before licensed removal work starts. This applies to Class A and Class B work alike. Then the licensed remover does the work, and the waste goes to a disposal site authorised to take it.
- 6
Independent clearance
After licensed removal, a clearance inspection must be carried out by someone independent of the remover: a licensed asbestos assessor for Class A work, and an independent competent person otherwise. For a home, the licensed remover commissioned to do the work must make sure it happens. The area must not be reoccupied until a clearance certificate has been issued for it.
How paying works
The test is paid up front through Stripe Checkout, so no card details touch this site. Everything on this site is priced in New Zealand dollars with GST included.
- The test: $249 for the visit and first sample, $85 per extra sample taken at the same visit. If the surveyor finds more samples are needed once on site, they ask you first and we invoice the extras afterwards.
- The removal quote: free, and there is no obligation to accept it.
- The removal: a deposit on acceptance and the balance when we send you the clearance certificate. The exact terms, including when a deposit stops being refundable, are in the terms of trade.
- The credit: your $249 test fee comes off a removal we arrange within 90 days of the result.
Right now, no money changes hands.We have not yet signed the surveyor, laboratory and licensed-remover subcontracts that let us promise a visit, so every "book a test" button joins a waitlist instead of charging a card. You will be told which region you are in and what we are waiting on.
What we are not
We are not a WorkSafe asbestos licence holder, a laboratory, a directory, a lead-generation site or a "get three quotes" marketplace. Your details do not get sold to three tradies who then phone you. One contract, one price, and the licence holder named in it.
We are also not the party who tells you the area is safe again. That is deliberately somebody else's job, and the regulations say so.
Sources
- Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 (regs 11, 27, 34, 41, 42)
- WorkSafe, Asbestos licensing overview
- WorkSafe, asbestos licence holder register
- WorkSafe, Asbestos in the home
Every rule and price on this page was checked against its source on 15 September 2026.
Questions about the process
Who actually does the removal?
A WorkSafe-licensed remover under subcontract to us, named on your quote with their licence class and number so you can check it on the WorkSafe asbestos licence holder register. NZ Asbestos Removal does not hold a licence and does not do removal work.
When do I pay?
The $249 test is paid when you book, through Stripe. A removal is quoted as one fixed written price; the deposit and balance arrangement is set out in our terms of trade, with the balance due when we send you the clearance certificate. Nothing about the removal is charged before you accept a written quote.
How soon can the removal start?
No sooner than five days after the licensed remover notifies WorkSafe in writing, because reg 34 requires at least five days' notice before licensed removal work starts. The remover's own schedule sits on top of that.
Why is the clearance done by someone else?
Because regulation 41 requires it: the clearance inspection must be carried out by a person independent of the remover — a licensed asbestos assessor for Class A work, an independent competent person otherwise. We engage and pay the clearance provider separately from the remover for that reason.
What if the test comes back negative?
You get the laboratory's report and a note explaining it, you carry on with your work, and there is nothing more to buy. Keep the report with the property file.
What do you earn on this?
A margin on the test, and a margin on removal we arrange. Both are set out on the disclosure page, along with why that does not touch the laboratory report or the clearance.