For most New Zealand businesses, Google reviews are the first thing a prospective customer sees — the star rating next to your name in Google Maps and search results. They shape whether someone calls you or your competitor. But reviews are also one of the easiest things for a business to get badly wrong, both ethically and legally.
This guide covers the part that matters most: how to earn reviews the right way, how to respond to them, and how to stay on the right side of New Zealand’s Fair Trading Act — a line that a well-known Kiwi retailer just paid over a million dollars for crossing. For the broader picture of ranking in local search, see our guide to local SEO in New Zealand; this page focuses specifically on reviews and reputation.
Why reviews carry so much weight
Reviews work as social proof. A customer who can’t inspect your work beforehand relies on other people’s experiences to decide whether to trust you — and Google’s local ranking gives weight to businesses with a steady flow of genuine, recent feedback. Reviews that mention what you actually did (“fixed the leak same day,” “clear quote, no surprises”) also help you show up when someone searches for that kind of service.
That pressure is exactly why some businesses are tempted to cut corners — and where the trouble starts.
The New Zealand law on reviews
This is the part most “get more reviews” advice skips, and it’s the most important. Manipulating reviews is not just against Google’s rules; in New Zealand it can break the law.
What the law says: fake reviews are illegal in NZ
Under the Fair Trading Act 1986, it is misleading conduct to write, buy, or manipulate reviews. That includes staff or friends posting reviews without disclosing their connection, and filtering out honest negative feedback.
The landmark case — The TV Shop, August 2026
Brand Developers Ltd (The TV Shop) was ordered to pay $1,104,000 — New Zealand’s largest review-manipulation penalty — after staff posted positive reviews without disclosing their affiliation, some for products they hadn’t used, while negative reviews were quietly withheld. It followed a 2025 conviction on 13 Fair Trading Act charges.
The maximum penalty is currently $600,000 per offence for a company; proposed reforms would raise it substantially.
The Fair Trading Act 1986 prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct in trade, and the Commerce Commission has made review manipulation an enforcement focus. The clearest illustration came in August 2026. The Auckland District Court ordered Brand Developers Ltd, the company behind The TV Shop, to pay $1,104,000 after its own staff wrote glowing product reviews while unhappy customers were quietly filtered out. Staff wrote positive product reviews without disclosing their affiliation with the business, and in some cases despite not using the product in question, and the company also systematically removed some negative reviews. The $1.1 million figure is easily the biggest review-manipulation penalty New Zealand has produced; the previous benchmark was set in 2019, when holiday-home manager Bachcare was fined $117,000 for editing guest reviews and withholding others.
Commerce Commission deputy chair Anne Callinan said it was unacceptable to post or manipulate product reviews in a way that misleads people, and that Kiwis should be able to trust online reviews are genuine and free of manipulation. The penalties are also set to increase: in May 2026 the Government introduced the Fair Trading Amendment Bill to provide a stronger deterrent for unfair and misleading conduct, and companies could become liable for up to three times the value of the commercial gain, the value of the transactions, or $5 million.
The lesson is simple: the shortcuts don’t just risk your Google listing, they risk a Commerce Commission prosecution.
Earning reviews the right way
The good news is that the compliant approach is also the effective one. You don’t need tricks — you need a system for asking real customers, consistently.
Getting reviews: what’s fine, what isn’t
Fine to do
- Ask every customer, promptly, after the job
- Make it easy — a direct link or QR code
- Invite honest feedback, good or bad
- Reply to reviews, including critical ones
Not allowed
- Writing your own or staff reviews undisclosed
- Buying reviews or using review “farms”
- Offering discounts or rewards for a rating
- Gating — only asking happy customers
The “not allowed” column breaches both Google’s policies and the Fair Trading Act.
The mechanics that work: ask every customer soon after the job, while the experience is fresh; make it frictionless with a direct “leave a review” link or a QR code on your invoice or card; and ask everyone, not just the people you expect to be happy. That last point matters legally as well as practically — review gating, where you only solicit reviews from satisfied customers and filter out the rest, is against Google’s policies and was part of what the TV Shop was penalised for. Offering a discount or entry into a prize draw in exchange for a review is also off-limits, because it buys the rating rather than earning it.
A steady trickle of genuine reviews beats a sudden burst. A pile of reviews appearing in one week looks abnormal to Google’s systems and to readers; a few a month, month after month, is both more credible and more sustainable.
Responding to reviews
Replying is where a lot of the value is, because future customers read the replies as closely as the reviews.
How to respond
A calm, specific reply matters more to future readers than the review itself.
| Review type | What to do |
|---|---|
| Positive | Thank them by name; mention a specific detail. Don’t over-template it. |
| Fair criticism | Acknowledge it, apologise if warranted, and move the fix offline (a phone number or email). |
| Unfair or fake | Reply factually (“we have no record of this order”), then flag it to Google. You can’t delete reviews — only report ones that breach Google’s policies. |
For positive reviews, a short, specific thank-you is enough — avoid copy-pasting the same line under every one. For fair criticism, the instinct to argue is the one to resist: acknowledge the issue, apologise where it’s warranted, and offer to sort it out offline. Prospective customers aren’t only reading the complaint; they’re watching how you handle it, and a calm, accountable reply can do more for your reputation than the complaint does against it.
A perfect, unbroken run of five-star reviews can even work against you — it reads as too good to be true. A handful of ordinary reviews, answered well, looks like what it is: a real business dealing with real people.
Handling unfair or fake negative reviews
You will occasionally get a review that’s plainly illegitimate — from someone who was never a customer, or containing abuse. You cannot simply delete a review because it’s negative. What you can do is reply factually (noting, politely, that you have no record of the transaction, which signals to other readers that it may not be genuine) and then flag it to Google for breaching its content policies. Google’s review policies prohibit spam, off-topic content, conflicts of interest and harassment, and reported reviews are assessed against those rules. It isn’t instant and it isn’t guaranteed, but it’s the legitimate route — and far safer than trying to bury it.
If you’re weighing help from a marketing agency to manage all this, our guide to vetting a digital marketing provider in New Zealand is worth a read first — any agency offering to “get you 50 five-star reviews” is offering to break the law on your behalf. And remember the same rules apply to testimonials on your own website, which is one reason it pays to keep your site’s claims honest and compliant. All of it runs on a site you host and control.
This article is provided for general information and is not legal advice. Consumer-law obligations depend on your specific conduct and can have serious consequences; for anything significant, check the current guidance from the Commerce Commission or seek advice from a qualified lawyer. Penalties and legislation change — the Fair Trading Amendment Bill was still before Parliament at the time of writing.
Reference sources
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to buy or write fake Google reviews in New Zealand?
Yes. Writing, buying, or manipulating reviews is misleading conduct under the Fair Trading Act 1986. In August 2026 the company behind The TV Shop was ordered to pay $1,104,000 — New Zealand’s largest review-manipulation penalty — for staff posting undisclosed positive reviews and the business filtering out negative ones.
Can I delete a bad Google review?
No. You can’t remove a review just because it’s negative. You can flag reviews that breach Google’s content policies — such as spam, off-topic content, conflicts of interest, or harassment — and Google assesses them against those rules. For fair criticism, the better move is a calm, professional reply.
Is it okay to offer a discount in exchange for a review?
No. Offering rewards, discounts, or prize-draw entries for reviews is against Google’s policies and undermines the honesty of the rating. Ask for feedback, but don’t pay for it in any form.
What is “review gating” and why is it a problem?
Review gating is asking only your happy customers for reviews while screening out the unhappy ones. It’s against Google’s policies, and selectively suppressing negative feedback can breach the Fair Trading Act — it was part of the conduct in the TV Shop case. Ask all your customers, not just the ones you expect to praise you.
How do I get more reviews without breaking the rules?
Ask every customer promptly after the work is done, and make it easy with a direct review link or a QR code. Aim for a steady flow rather than a one-off burst, which looks less natural to both Google and readers.
Do the same rules apply to reviews and testimonials on my own website?
Yes. The Fair Trading Act covers misleading conduct wherever it happens, including testimonials on your own site. The TV Shop’s conduct included fake reviews on its own website, not just third-party platforms.
Should I respond to every review?
Responding to both positive and negative reviews signals an engaged, credible business and is read closely by prospective customers. Keep positive replies specific rather than templated, and take the resolution of complaints offline.