About us
Zero Waste Aotearoa combines grassroots action with system change to keep the valuable resources we all depend on in use for as long as possible. We are a charitable, Te Tiriti-led, membership organisation.
We:
Provide practical solutions and tools to address the root causes of waste, including shifting everyday behaviours.
Support communities to collectively prevent waste through repair, reuse, recycling and composting.
Help lead a national movement to change societal habits, rules and laws.
Challenge greenwash and other false claims.
Demonstrate what a zero waste
Aotearoa looks and feels like.
Purpose & direction
Our strategic direction is developed by our Board of Trustees, in collaboration with our team members. It has five key strategic pou:
1. Build the evidence base
2. Amplify the movement
3. Shape the system to shift the focus up the waste hierarchy
4. Strengthen the network
5. Build a strong foundation for impact
We support and enable zero waste to be put into practice across Aotearoa, in order to achieve our vision: A resourceful future for Aotearoa where zero waste is the norm.
Read our strategy document here
Our story
Community resource recovery began in the late 1980s with local recycling and reuse projects creating jobs. In 2006, these diverse groups formalized their collaboration as the Community Enterprise Network Trust. Initially trading as the Community Recycling Network, we focused on supporting members and national projects like e-waste collection and advocacy. In 2017, we became the Zero Waste Network to reflect our members’ broadened priorities, and in 2025, we changed our name to Zero Waste Aotearoa. We did this because our mission is bigger than just being a network. We want to champion policy, regulation, and action that tackle the root causes of waste, so that nothing, and no-one, is wasted.
Want to know more about the history of the organisation?
