Charitable op shops across New Zealand saved households an estimated $844 million last year through affordable second-hand goods, according to the first Aotearoa New Zealand Reuse Impact Study.
The study, launched at Parliament as part of a new collaboration called Charitable Reuse Aotearoa, found the country’s op shops reused 46.9 million items over 12 months and kept 41,300 tonnes of goods out of landfill in the process.
Op shops also reinvested $78 million into social and community services, including hospice care, over the same period. The sector was supported by more than 1550 full-time equivalent volunteers alongside 1322 paid staff.
Charitable Reuse Aotearoa brings together seven of New Zealand’s largest charitable reuse organisations: Habitat for Humanity, Hato Hone St John, Hospice New Zealand, the New Zealand Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the SPCA and St Vincent de Paul.
The study was commissioned by Charitable Reuse Aotearoa and carried out by consultancy Rawtec, which has run similar reuse impact research in Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia. Data came from survey responses by five of the founding organisations, Habitat for Humanity, Hato Hone St John, Hospice New Zealand, the Salvation Army and the SPCA, which together account for 61% of charitable reuse shops operating in New Zealand.
Hospice New Zealand said the findings showed op shops reduce waste, ease the cost of living, create connection and support the continuity of social services in local communities.
Charitable Reuse Aotearoa says the full findings, set out in an executive report, will give the Ministry for the Environment and other stakeholders a credible snapshot of the size and impact of the sector.
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