Source: Zero Waste Aotearoa
Long awaited updates to the Waste Minimisation and Litter Acts will not be introduced to the house this parliamentary term. The government advised stakeholders that no further work is progressing.
These updates would have given business and households a modern, fit for purpose law to help prevent and reduce waste, litter and emissions.
Sue Coutts is Director of External Affairs for Zero Waste Aotearoa. She said:
“Protecting our environment and using resources efficiently are apparently not priorities for the government.”
“New Zealanders want better recycling systems. They want alternatives to disposal. They want to make the shift away from this throwaway economy. The 2026 Kantar Better Futures Report shows that New Zealanders expect government, business and brands to do more to reduce environmental impacts.”
“Successive governments have said they’ll update the law. The background work is done. The sector and the public have been consulted twice on the proposals. We’ve been waiting for six years. These straightforward changes would help the country catch up with modern reuse and recycling systems”
“Time and time again we’re told by the Minister for the Environment that the law will be updated. The government is stringing New Zealanders along by saying they’ll progress this when they have no intention of doing so.”
“The deadline for phasing out PVC and polystyrene food and beverage packaging also keeps getting pushed back. Policy flip flops between governments are a major barrier to progress and investment in the reuse, recycling and waste sector.”
“Companies have already pulled back from commitments to ensure packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 because the systems that would make that possible are not in place.”
“Central government is responsible for making producers set up and fund reuse and recycling systems for their products and packaging. The work on this has been done; now, it just needs to go through Parliament.”
The original Waste Minimisation Act was passed with cross party support back in 2008.
Zero Waste Aotearoa calls on all parties to make updating the Waste Minimisation Act an early priority in the next government. That way, New Zealand can finally make some progress on reducing waste.
Notes and Relevant Links
Kantar Better Futures 2026
https://www.kantarnewzealand.com/latest-thinking/better-futures/
P9 New Zealanders make good use of limited waste management services they have access to
P12 – 87% of New Zealanders expect business/brands to take responsibility for their environmental and social impacts
P15 New Zealanders expect Government, Business and Brands to do more
MfE and MCERT
The original work on the Waste legislation updates was done by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), which has now been incorporated into The Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.
MCERT – Governments Waste work programme
https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/areas-of-work/waste/work-programme-on-waste/
Link to list of cabinet papers released
https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/cabinet-papers-and-regulatory-impact-statements/amending-the-waste-legislation-policy-approvals/
Exactly the same thing happened at the end of the last parliamentary term with 7 cabinet papers and drafting proposals left sitting at the bottom of the pile.