The Government has moved to amend the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, in changes announced last week aimed at speeding up access to agricultural and horticultural products for farmers and growers.
Environment Minister Nicola Grigg said the reforms are designed to cut red tape and make it easier for industry to access products that are already approved in overseas markets, particularly those used for pest control, invasive species management and crop protection.
At the heart of the changes is a push to reduce delays in New Zealand’s approval system, which has long been criticised by parts of the primary sector for being slow and overly complex.
A 2024 review by the Ministry for Regulation found that while the system does a good job of managing risk, the approval pathway can be unnecessarily complicated and costly for businesses trying to bring new products to market.
The amendment bill responds to those findings by streamlining parts of the process and making it easier to recognise or draw on assessments completed by trusted overseas regulators. The Government says this will reduce duplication, without lowering New Zealand’s own environmental or health safeguards.
For farmers and growers, the practical aim is simple: quicker access to modern tools that can help protect crops and improve productivity, especially as pest pressures and biosecurity challenges continue to evolve.
Grigg said the changes are about making the system more efficient rather than less safe. “These changes remove unnecessary barriers and improve efficiency to put New Zealand businesses on an even playing field with their overseas competitors,” she said.
Importantly, the role of the Environmental Protection Authority remains unchanged. It will continue to be the independent decision-maker for approvals involving hazardous substances and new organisms.
The Government has also stressed that environmental and human health protections are not being weakened. Instead, it argues the updates reflect a more modern regulatory approach that is “fit for purpose” and better aligned with how science and approvals are handled internationally.
If successful, the reforms are expected to reduce waiting times for approvals and ease compliance costs for agrichemical companies and primary producers, while maintaining New Zealand’s existing safety standards.
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