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On June 3, 2026, the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) announced a sustained increase in hazardous substances decisions for the third quarter of the 2025–2026 financial year, alongside a continuous decline in its assessment queue. Notably, pending applications have dropped by 23% since June 2025, bringing the total number of applications awaiting assessment down to 74—the lowest level recorded since 2022.
This accelerated processing directly addresses a historical backlog of release applications, particularly those involving new active chemical ingredients. Over recent years, processing timelines had been strained by resource constraints, specialist staff turnover, and the increased level of scientific information required to support hazardous substance applications. In response, the EPA implemented operational improvements, optimized resource allocation, and executed recommendations from the comprehensive agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review (the MfR review) to streamline processes across both the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act and the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act.
A primary driver of this reduction is the EPA's strategic expansion of rapid assessment pathways and its utilization of data from international regulators. During the first three quarters of the 2025–2026 financial year, the EPA finalized decisions on 55 hazardous substances applications. Of these, 46 were processed via rapid assessment pathways, including 6 through the rapid international regulator pathway. Moving forward, the EPA will continue to leverage rapid assessments where appropriate, freeing up vital resources for complex applications and further operational upgrades.
To ensure long-term efficiency, the EPA has secured a $10 million allocation from the Waste Disposal Levy to completely modernize its outdated ecotoxicology and toxicology risk assessment models. The discovery phase for this modernization concluded in March 2026, paving the way for upgraded models that align with international best practices while integrating New Zealand-specific factors.
Furthermore, industry stakeholders should prepare for anticipated amendments to the HSNO Act These amendments are expected to introduce fit-for-purpose statutory timeframes, improve application processes, clarify eligibility criteria for the international regulator rapid pathway, and enable the establishment of a hazardous substances levy.
