1. Introduction

The purpose of the Hazardous Substances and New Organism Act (HSNO) is to protect the environment, and the health and safety of people and communities, by preventing or managing the adverse effects of hazardous substances and new organisms. We consider that there are workability issues that mean that the Act is not achieving its purpose with respect to hazardous substances. We also consider that improving HSNO’s workability will support the government’s growth and innovation objectives by removing barriers to innovation and encouraging sustainable economic growth. To improve workability, we consider that the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) needs more flexibility to prevent or manage the adverse effects of hazardous substances on the basis of the risk the substances pose. We propose new tools and methods that will enable ERMA to do that.