This page has information about upcoming public consultations, including nationally significant proposals and proposed changes to the laws and regulations we administer.
When a consultation is opened for public submission, you will find it in the "Open for submission" section.
See our Open for submission page
Each consultation will provide details about when and how you can have your say.
All other public consultations either underway or completed can be found either under "In Progress" or "Decided" sections.
You can keep up-to-date with information about current applications and consultations in the news section of our website and by signing up to our newsletters.
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Consultations are grouped by type of consultation. The dates provided are a guide only.
Hazardous substances
Proposed infringement scheme for hazardous substances under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO Act)
The Government is proposing to implement an infringement offence scheme, to increase protection of the environment and the health and safety of people from the adverse effects of hazardous substances.
The current range of enforcement tools available to hazardous substance enforcement agencies is limited to warning letters, compliance orders, or prosecution. An infringement scheme will provide an intermediate enforcement tool, that will allow enforcement officers to respond to low level hazardous substance offences in a proportionate and efficient manner.
We are expecting to release a public consultation document early in 2023 to request feedback on this proposal.
Amending the EPA Hazardous Substances (Storage and Disposal of Persistent Organic Pollutants) Notice 2004
We are proposing to amend the Hazardous Substances (Storage and Disposal of Persistent Organic Pollutants) Notice 2004.
This Gazette Notice prohibits the storage or disposal of any persistent organic pollutant (POP) in New Zealand, unless it is stored or disposed of in accordance with the requirements included in the notice.
The proposed amendments include:
- updating the requirements relating to the disposal of POPs
- updating the notice to take account of the legislative reform which occurred in December 2017
- adding new provisions for manufactured articles that contain POPs.