Thousands of New Zealanders have their say on plastic bags

Submissions are rolling in from across New Zealand on the Government’s proposed phase-out of single-use plastic shopping bags, with more than 4,000 received so far.

Now with just over a week of the consultation to go, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage is encouraging all Kiwis who want to have their say on this issue, to do so.

“New Zealanders have called on the Government to take action on single-use plastic bags, and we’ve listened. Earlier this year I received a petition signed by 65,000 people calling for an outright ban on these bags.

“This consultation is important to ensure we get things right. We want to hear from as many people as possible about factors like how fast we move and which types of plastic bags are included in the mandatory phase out.

“Ultimately phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags will mean a change for all New Zealanders when they purchase their groceries and other retail goods. This is an opportunity for people to have their say on how New Zealand makes this change.

“We use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic shopping bags every year in New Zealand. Far too many of these end up in the environment, particularly our marine environments where they are harming marine life and entering the food chain, which is a real concern for human health.

“Many other countries have taken action on plastic bags and I am confident we can do this. We need to ensure the way we make the change is right for the New Zealand context – that’s why submissions are so important and I encourage people to have their say.”

Submissions are open until Friday 14 September. To have your say visit www.mfe.govt.nz.

Action

RENAME, REWRITE, and REJECT the Regulatory Standards Bill

Submit your suggested changes to the Regulatory Standards Bill! Tell us how you'd change the bill and we could take it to the House!

Action

Anniversary of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill Referendum

If we were to legally regulate cannabis in Aotearoa, what kind of rules would you want to see around access, possession, use, regulations on sale, ...

Action

Save our Polytechs: Campaign Packs

Want to see more supports for our Polytechs? Use these resources to support the campaign!

Action

Save Our Polytechs Petition

Sign our petition today and join us in calling on the Minister for Vocational Education, Hon Penny Simmonds, to Save our Polytechs!

Action

Protect our tamariki - Sign the open letter

Every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha. Sign our open letter today and help make that a reality!

Action

Stop Growing Homelessness

Sign our petition asking Luxon and Bishop to take action to stop homelessness increasing in Aotearoa.

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

Hauraki Marine Bill a huge step despite Govt backtrack

The passing of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill has been hailed as a significant step by the Green Party, despite concessions...

Environment Minister abusing role to put freshwater at risk

Documents obtained under the Official Information Act have revealed the Minister for the Environment is pressuring local councils to allow ‘water t...

National direction changes mark dark day for people and planet

Today’s sweeping changes to environmental protections paint a damning picture of a government hellbent on profit at all costs, openly allowing more...

Minister for the Environment missing in action in Budget 2025

Budget 2025 makes it crystal clear that this Government has no interest in protecting nature or securing a liveable future for our tamariki.

Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform

The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RM...

Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects

The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Tra...

Story

Opportunity to build a more sustainable economy

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumer...

Greens welcome waste strategy release and work

The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return...

Container return scheme will benefit recycling and the oceans

The work Green Ministers did last term is continuing to make a difference, with the announcement today that the Government is planning to introduce...

Waste strategy needs to learn from nature

Anything less than a transformational national waste strategy and waste legislation will not be enough, the Green Party said today.

Greens welcome progress on hard to recycle and single use plastics, but more needs to be done

The Green Party welcomes progress on the phase-out of some hard to recycle plastics and some single-use plastics, but says more must be done.

More action on waste – Government funds recycling infrastructure, moves to standardise kerbside collections

$36.7m Government investment in high-tech recycling plants nationwide Plan to standardise and improve the nation’s kerbside collections As part o...