Environment Committee concludes hearings on waste inquiry

The Environment Committee have finished hearing oral evidence on their briefing to investigate food waste. This briefing sought to understand effective methods to prevent loss and reduce food waste in New Zealand. The committee are investigating the challenges that relevant sectors face and what solutions may exist to tackle this issue, with a particular focus on the food waste problem, how to prevent food waste and ways of redistributing food waste.

The briefing has an overarching United National Sustainable Development Goals framework, as food waste relates to 6 of the 17 goals. The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

The next step will be a report from independent specialist advisor, Dr Miranda Mirosa, who is New Zealand’s leading academic in this field. Her report will summarise the evidence received by the committee and will provide advice about, and recommendations for, the committee’s findings on the briefing.

The committee received written submissions from 29 organisations listed below and heard oral evidence from 18 of them (bolded).

• Auckland Council

• Bioresource Processing Alliance

• Champions 12.3

• Dunedin City Council

• EcoStock

• EnviroWaste

• Feedback

• FoodStuffs

• Kaibosh

• KiwiHarvest

• Doctor Christian Reynolds - Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow

• Ministry for Primary Industries

• Ministry for the Environment

• New Zealand Defence Force

• New Zealand Food and Grocery Council

• Para Kore Marae Inc

• Progressive Enterprises

• Sarah May

• Statistics New Zealand

• Sustainable Business Network

• WasteMINZ and WasteMINZ Territorial Authorities' Officers Forum

• WasteMINZ Love Food Hate Waste

• Wellington City Council

• WRAP

• Zero Waste Network

• Zero Waste Scotland

Angie Warren-Clark, member of the Environment Committee, said: "I am delighted that the select committee was unanimously committed to investigating the impact of food waste on the environment. Essentially we have food poverty in this country and edible food going in to landfill. Surely by investigating worldwide and local best practice, across the entire food chain, and listening to the views of the experts we can draw together a report that gives us the road map for achieving SDG12.3 "

Food waste is a major issue in New Zealand, nationally we waste $872 million a year on food. The country creates 122,500 tonnes of food waste per year, which is enough to feed the whole of Dunedin for two years.

For more details about the briefing:

• Read the feature article here

• Read the submissions and advice received

• Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates

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