Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has today welcomed the stimulus funding to upgrade seven high-tech recycling plants across New Zealand, including recommendations on how New Zealand’s kerbside recycling can be standardised.

LGNZ is the peak body representing New Zealand’s 78 local councils, providing a unified voice for the sector and a pathway for continuous improvement through CouncilMARK™.

“As a sector, local government commends Minister Sage for the work she has been leading in this space,“ says LGNZ President Stuart Crosby. “We particularly welcome the open and collaborative approach taken by the government, and have particularly closely with officials on the kerbside standards to ensure they are best placed to meet New Zealand’s needs.”

“Our communities have consistently been calling for urgent action on waste and recycling, and the Government is hearing that and responding. We have never seen so many initiatives or investment from the Government in the waste area as we are seeing now.”

“LGNZ is looking forward to working with the Government on a strategic plan for waste. This will be critical when the additional funding comes on stream through the waste minimisation fund. A strategic approach will help to give us the scale we need to economically process waste and recyclables onshore,“ continued Mr Crosby.

“We look forward to working with the government to move towards collecting the standardised materials and to identifying and removing any blocks in the way.”

About LGNZ and local government in New Zealand

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is the peak body representing New Zealand's 78 local, regional and unitary authorities. LGNZ advocates for local democracy, develops local government policy, and promotes best practice and excellence in leadership, governance and service delivery. Through its work strengthening sector capability, LGNZ contributes to the economic success and vibrancy of communities and the nation.

The local government sector plays an important role. In addition to giving citizens a say in how their communities are run, councils own a broad range of community assets worth more than $120 billion. These include 90 per cent of New Zealand's road network, the bulk of the country's water and waste water networks, and libraries, recreation and community facilities. Regional and unitary councils play a key role in administering the Resource Management Act and as environmental regulators. Council expenditure is approximately $8.5 billion dollars, representing approximately 4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product and 11 per cent of all public expenditure.

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