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.
Contact: Sue Coutts 027 322 9675 sue@zerowaste.co.nz
Listen to the Radio NZ interview with Sue Coutts – Morning report
WasteMINZ also made their concerns known – you can read about that here
Notes and Relevant Links
Kantar Better Futures 2026
- 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
Link to list of cabinet papers released
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.
Copy of the update mailed out 25 August by MCERT staff below
Update on Government Waste Work Programme
1) Waste legislation – proactive release of policy decisions
The Minister for the Environment intends to amend the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and Litter Act 1979 to ensure New Zealand has fit-for-purpose, modern waste legislation that provides more options and flexibility to reduce and manage waste effectively and efficiently.
In December 2025, we proactively released the Cabinet paper and minutes, which provided policy approvals for waste legislation amendments and instructed the Parliamentary Counsel Office to commence drafting the bill.
The Minister has now approved the release of the additional appendices to the previously released Cabinet paper. This additional information includes appendices setting out the detailed policy decisions, the Regulatory Impact Statement, and the Stage 1 Cost Recovery Impact Statement.
You can read the documents here.
Drafting of the amended waste legislation is presently on hold pending completion of other Government bills, and waste legislation will not be introduced to the House this Parliamentary term.
2) Proposal to phase out PVC and polystyrene from food and beverage packaging
In November 2024, Cabinet rescinded the 2025 phase-out deadline for PVC and polystyrene in food and beverage packaging and agreed to further policy work to ensure any future phase-out was workable and well supported.
Throughout 2025, officials worked closely with industry stakeholders to develop a refined proposal.
We are writing to let you know that an updated proposal will not proceed to Cabinet for consideration in the current Parliamentary term due to other Government priorities. As a result, no Cabinet policy decisions have been made on the proposed phase out, and work to develop regulations will not be progressing at this time.
We recognise the significant time and effort many stakeholders have invested in contributing information, evidence and perspectives to this work. Your valuable contributions helped inform advice provided to the Minister for the Environment.
We will keep you informed of any future Cabinet decisions on this proposal.
Get in touch for more information
On 1 July 2026, the Ministry for the Environment became the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.
Please still email the team at wasteamendment@mfe.govt.nz if you have any questions about the waste legislative amendments, and direct any questions on the plastics phase outs to plastics@mfe.govt.nz.
