Government work programme on hazardous substances and new organisms
What the Government is doing to ensure hazardous substances and new organisms are well managed in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Aotearoa New Zealand, like other countries, is exposed to a range of substances and organisms that can if not well-managed damage our health and the health of our environment.
These include:
- hazardous substances
- new organisms, including genetically modified organisms
- greenhouse gases such as fluorinated gases.
The types of damage that can be caused include:
- contamination of land, rivers, lakes and the marine environment from hazardous substances used in industrial processes
- damage to the health of native fauna and flora from new organisms
- damage to the ozone layer from ozone-depleting substances.
When well-managed, these substances and biological technologies help us achieve important economic goals and improve our well-being.
For instance:
- new organisms can be used to develop medicines or useful industrial products
- hazardous substances (eg, pesticides) are used to protect our native species and crops from harm.
Proposed changes to regulatory settings for genetically modified organisms when used in laboratory settings and for biomedical therapies
Like all organisms new to Aotearoa New Zealand, genetically modified organisms potentially have positive or negative effects on the environment, the economy and our society. This is because different organisms have different characteristics.
Their risks and benefits will depend on where and how each organism is used. For this reason, New Zealand’s evaluations of genetically modified organisms are based on the principle of case-by-case assessment.
The New Zealand research community has highlighted issues with the current GMO regulatory settings that are hindering research and innovation.
Have your say on the proposed changes
The Government is seeking feedback on proposed changes to New Zealand’s legislation and regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used in laboratory settings and for biomedical therapies.
The proposals apply only to laboratory settings and will not alter rules on the release of GMOs outside laboratory settings, such as the provisions for field trials and releases of GMOs into the environment.
The current comprehensive approval processes undertaken by MedSafe for medicines and biomedical therapies will also remain unchanged.
For full details and to make a submission see Improving our GMO regulations for laboratory and biomedical research.
Consultation closes at 11.59pm on 25 August 2023.
Reducing environmental impact of fluorinated gases
Fluorinated gases (F-gases) contribute significantly to global warming. This is because they are potent greenhouse gases, with global warming potential hundreds or thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.
F-gas refrigerants are found in a range of products such as heat pumps, dehumidifiers, vehicles, fridges and freezers.
From 8 November to 18 December 2022 we held a consultation on proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of F-gases.
This included:
- a regulated product stewardship scheme for refrigerants
- prohibiting the import and sale of pre-charged equipment when alternatives are available, which is expected to happen over the next 10 years.
Find out more about the proposed measures
Per- and poly-fluoro alkyl substances (PFAS)
We lead this all-of-government programme. This involves overseeing and co-ordinating the response to per- and poly-fluorinated alkly substances (PFAS) contamination in New Zealand.