Technology company Licella, along with cardboard packaging and paper recycler Oji Fibre Solutions, on-farm plastic recycler Plasback, Silver Fern Farms, and Woolworths New Zealand, with money from the Ministry for the Environment’s Plastics Innovation Fund announced a joint feasibility study of a local plastics recycling industry.

“This is just another ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, another way of disposing of a mess that we shouldn’t be creating in the first place. This isn’t innovation,” says Sue Coutts of the Zero Waste Network.

“Investigating – or worse, piloting – advanced chemical recycling, or ‘plastics-to-oil’ technology buys time for the plastics and packaging industries to keep pumping out ever larger volumes of plastic and contaminated waste plastics,” said Liam Prince, chair of the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance.

“The technology would enable industry to pretend they are “solving” the plastic solution, while in reality they are doing the opposite by continuing to benefit from the artificial cheapness of plastic packaging without any responsibility for the pollution that is caused across the entire lifespan of plastics.”

“This study does nothing to address the root causes and key harms of plastic pollution, which go far beyond plastics’ end-of-life. The claims about the benefits of so-called ‘advanced recycling’ are rife with greenwashing. They fail to mention that this is an experimental, risky technology with a high carbon footprint.”

“These kinds of activities should not be subsidised using public funds. It is reasonable to expect that companies that decide to use business models that create large volumes of waste plastic that is too contaminated or hard to recycle should take responsibility for covering all of the costs associated with dealing with it at end of life,” says Sue Coutts.

“The obvious solutions are available by looking upstream: designing waste and pollution out of the economy and corporate business models so that we don’t have to waste a lot of money and time managing problems we did not need to create in the first place. Innovation would be developing industry-ready reusable packaging systems, and the use of more readily recycled and safe materials that are managed by properly funded nation-wide resource recovery network.”

“Time and time again, New Zealanders say that plastic pollution is a major concern. Yet central government and corporate New Zealand has not been willing to meet these concerns with real action to reduce plastic production. So we will continue to see growing harm including damage to ecosystems and fenceline communities from the extraction of oil for plastics, and the hazardous pollution caused by plastic products as they flow through our economies, particularly shedding microplastics and leaching chemical additives,” says Liam Prince

“Funding of this study is out-of-step with the ambition of many countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand, for a strong international Agreement to End Plastic Pollution, currently being negotiated through the United Nations. The NZ Government has frequent and free access to independent scientific advice specifically warning against these false solutions. Ending plastic pollution starts with reducing plastic production, not building new and expensive ways to perpetuate its use.”

Our PR: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2403/S00182/plastics-recycling-plan-will-increase-plastic-pollution.htm

Original PR: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC2403/S00034/study-into-new-zealand-first-for-end-of-life-plastic-recycling.htm

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Statement

The Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA) condemns the violence, genocide, and ecocide currently being inflicted by the Israeli Government against Palestinians and their territories, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank.

APPA equally condemns the New Zealand Government who, simultaneous to their efforts to unilaterally redefine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and erode the rights of Tāngata Whenua here in Aotearoa, have failed to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza while supporting strikes against Yemen in the name of restoring global trade.

Context

Settler-colonial violence against Indigenous Peoples, pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecocide are all consequences of imperialist systems of oppression, extraction, and destruction.

Furthermore, militarism and the military-industrial-complex, which uphold the existing global balance of power, are key drivers of material extraction and plastic pollution, while wars are significant polluting events. As we have seen time and time again, and as we are witnessing in Palestine right now, invasion and warfare only generate further social and ecological destruction on top of the inherent harm of the dominant global consumer capitalist system.

Plastics and petrochemicals are intimately connected to geopolitics. Modern consumer capitalism relies on plastics to function, and plastics themselves depend on the extraction of raw materials, such as oil. The pipeline from extraction to consumption props up billion dollar industries, while eroding environmental health and human rights at every step. The ability to undertake these polluting activities, at the expense of both people and the planet, requires control over (Indigenous) Lands and Oceans. This control enables corporations and colonial powers to establish extraction facilities, install refining infrastructure and production plants, set up trade routes, and secure prime retail real-estate and disposal sites for waste. This global linear take-make-waste architecture was embedded during European imperialist expansion. It remains inseparable from the imperial and colonial ideologies of entitlement that, via Papal Laws such as the widely-implemented Doctrine of Discovery, underpin many political systems and settler-colonial governments today.

The connection between our current global economy, environmental destruction and colonial violence is highlighted by the Palestinian-led Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement and its participant NGOs, who list many multinational corporations as complicit in upholding the Israeli government’s apartheid, occupation and genocide. Many of these corporations are major users of plastic and recidivist plastic polluters.

The current siege and blockade of Gaza (facilitated by decades of occupation and apartheid) has reached the point that Gazans are starving, unable to sustain themselves on their own land. Restricted access to piped water supplies has created a reliance on bottled water, which itself is in short supply. A severe shortage of fuel as well as the destruction of solar panels installed on rooftops on buildings across the strip, has compelled some Gazans to burn plastic for cooking and in order to stay warm over winter, adding to the multifaceted public health and environmental risks they face.  This is not the first time that the Israeli blockade against Gaza has precipitated an energy crisis that has led Gazans to resort to using plastic for fuel – a practice that locals understand carries risks, but which they have little choice but to undertake. See for example reports from 2014 https://electronicintifada.net/content/amid-crisis-gazans-convert-plastic-fuel/13374 and 2022 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220826-in-risky-recyling-venture-gazans-burn-plastic-for-fuel.

Alongside their ongoing human rights abuses and war crimes over decades of illegal occupation in Palestinian territories, the Israeli Government’s current military actions are causing extensive and long-term ecological damage resulting from the destruction of most of Gaza’s built environment (including critical infrastructure, such as wastewater treatment plants); the emission of tonnes of carbon dioxide; pollution of air, water and soil from bombs and other munitions; and deliberate attacks against existing and vital biodiversity, such as heirloom olive groves that Palestinian families have been custodians of for hundreds of years*.

*See, for example: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/emissions-gaza-israel-hamas-war-climate-change; https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/5/is-israels-war-on-gaza-also-hurting-the-climate

Positionality: Why we’re speaking up

Environmental organisations have a responsibility to call out systemic injustices that perpetuate social and ecological harm, whenever and wherever they occur. We have a responsibility to recognise the māmae and intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism and call for its healing in a way that enables people and the planet to live in peace and justice, rather than repeating cycles of violence or exploitation.

APPA exists to prevent plastic pollution in Aotearoa, Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa, and beyond. The APPA kaupapa (constitution) commits us to restoring the mauri of Papatūānuku, Tangaroa, me ngā Whanau Atua, and protecting all living beings from the existing and future adverse impacts of plastic pollution. We are deeply committed to honouring Te Tiriti at all times, in all spaces, and in all the work that we do. Our kaupapa centres Te Tiriti o Waitangi, along with rangatiratanga, manaakitanga, whakawhanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, kotahitanga and whakapapa.

APPA’s constitutional kaupapa and the day-to-day mahi of our members reflect the fundamental truth that when the Land is well, the people are well. All people deserve to live in safety, self-determination and environmental justice, free from oppressive violence, pollution and prejudice, and to be secure in the knowledge that their children and children’s children will too.

Therefore, APPA stands with Tāngata Whenua in Aotearoa, Palestine, and across the world against white supremacy, colonial racism, consumer capitalism, and other violent ideologies of entitlement. By fuelling disconnection between humans and the natural world, these ideologies and the socio-political-economic systems they underpin directly threaten human rights to life, security and a safe environment.

As an organisation located in a settler colony, we recognise settler colonial violence when it erupts elsewhere. In Aotearoa, settler-colonial violence and social dysfunction is currently being exacerbated by the New Zealand Government’s baseless fear-mongering and hostility towards te ao Māori, te reo Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These actions reflect the ongoing legacy of violence, human rights abuses, and Tiriti violations by the Crown against Iwi and Hapū. Tāngata Whenua in both Aotearoa and Palestine share a whakapapa of resistance against colonial violence and it is our collective responsibility to call for justice.

We cannot be free until we are all free and the Land will never be well until those Indigenous to the Land are well and their right to self-determination is upheld.

Effectively addressing these interconnected socio-ecological issues requires us to reject and dismantle dominant and oppressive systems of power and re-embed our communities in the natural cycles of te Taiao, with full Indigenous sovereignty and free self determination.

#ToitūTeTiriti

#FreePalestine

#CeasefireNow

#EndTheOccupation

#HandsOffYemen

Acknowledgements

This collaborative statement reflects the perspectives of our diverse membership, which includes Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, Tāngata Tiriti, and Tauiwi with whakapapa from across the world, including Palestine.

While we take the responsibility of addressing these crucial kaupapa seriously, we must acknowledge our delay in issuing a statement. As a volunteer-run organisation, we needed to ensure that our statement is not only timely but also accurately reflects our collective rōpū.

APPA looks forward to these discussions becoming more mainstream as Aotearoa and the world continue to move towards decolonization, tino rangatiratanga, and a future that prioritises safety and justice for all.

Read and download the full statement below:

#ToitūTeTiriti
#FreePalestine
#CeasefireNow
#EndTheOccupation
#HandsOffYemen

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This study aims to seek ways to prevent marine plastic pollution leakage in New Zealand’s commercial fin fishing industry supply chains. Drawing on a case study approach, this research investigates how sea and land-based plastic material flows are perceived by those working for commercial fishing company Moana NZ. It considers current global, regional and national policies, as well as current initiatives that seek to minimise marine plastic pollution and considers the potential for their implementation in this context. This study also acknowledges the significant role that industry can play in implementing best practice guided by the top of the zero waste hierarchy.

Read the article here:

About the Authors

Freya Croft is a PhD student at the University of Wollongong Australia and an Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Blue Charter Fellow. Ms Croft’s 2021 ACU Blue Charter Fellowship was hosted by Massey University’s Political Ecology Research Centre, NZ and supervised by Dr Trisia Farrelly.
Dr Trisia Farrelly is a Senior Lecturer in the School of People, Environment and Planning at Massey University and Co-Director of the Political Ecology Research Centre, and a member of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Ad Hoc Expert Group and the Scientific Advisory Committee (Marine Litter and Microplastics). Dr Farrelly is
also Co-Founder of the New Zealand Product Stewardship Council (NZPSC) and the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA).
This report has been independently reviewed by Christina Dixon, Senior Ocean Campaigner, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Karen Baird, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and Dr. Stephanie Borrelle, Birdlife International. The funding received from Waitrose and Partners for this programme is drawn from their 5p plastic bag levy which they are using for the public good with no commercial interest.

Citation: Croft, F. & Farrelly. T. (2021). Tackling the problem of marine plastic pollution in New Zealand’s fin fish industry. Case Study: Moana NZ. London: Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

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We pause to properly honour Richelle.

Richelle’s legacy, both in APPA and in all of her mahi, is so large, multifaceted and positive that it is impossible to do it justice through words on this page. Her contribution to APPA as a founding member was unparalleled and gifted APPA with easily its most important guiding values and principles. And no one so prominent has ever been harder working, ever-present and such a good listener.

In her own words, Richelle joined the APPA whānau in 2018 for the following reasons:

‘One thing I would like to offer is that my true passion is to see our potential in marrying mātauranga Māori and Science and Kaitiakitanga with Action. …I am an instant gratification kind of person and so now would like to ask about bringing your knowledge to our people.

‘Through Para Kore ki Tāmaki, Para Kore Marae Inc., and Pacific Vision Aotearoa we have a very unique and purposeful opportunity to take your scientific knowledge to our rangatahi/māpu to inform and empower their decisions. All three Zero Waste programmes are tangibly connected with their whānau and are visionaries in their application of traditional knowledge and environmental protection of Papatūānuku.’

With the email alias of ‘Godessalive’ and the title of ‘Environmental and Social Capital Broker’, Richelle eventually graduated to Kaiwhakaora Whenua (Earth Healer) during her time as founder and member of APPA.

Richelle’s participation in APPA’s formation ensured that te Ao Māori principles were integrated into our founding documents and constitution, something which APPA is so privileged to have. APPA is thankful for Richelle’s patient and clear explanations of the principles, and particularly how to turn these into actions. These foundations form the core of APPA’s being, values, and future.

Most of APPA only had chance to meet with Richelle virtually, yet it was always a rich experience. When she joined the zoom meetings, Richelle filled our screens with a vibrant and colourful energy, infectious and beautiful smiles, laughter and dedicated, serious work with at times unexpected turns.

In June 2019 Richelle stepped down from APPA to ‘enjoy the opportunity of the journey towards healing’.

It was with utmost sadness that we learned about Richelle’s passing in 2020 through her beautiful daughter.

Richelle has impacted everyone and everything on her mission to heal the earth, and APPA is grateful to have been touched during her journey. We strive to honour Richelle’s legacy and mission in all APPA’s mahi.

He whetū kua ruia ki te rangi hei arahia i a mātou i te ara whakaora
– A star sown in the sky that will guide us on this pathway to wellness.

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Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA) stands in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter. APPA stands firm with all those around the world working to illuminate and deconstruct institutional racism, to demand an end to police brutality, and the ongoing oppression of Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour. 

On behalf of APPA, we send strength and support to the loved ones of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Sean Reed in Indianapolis, Tony McDade in Florida and to too many others who have suffered at the hands of those employed to ‘serve and protect’ all of its state’s citizens.

APPA acknowledges that these same injustices and oppression exist around the world, including here in Aotearoa New Zealand. APPA acknowledges and stands against all forms of racism and injustice toward Māori and Pasifika peoples, including institutional racism and discriminatory police and penal system power in this country.

As a colonial state, New Zealand’s (NZ) legal and political institutions were constructed on notions of White supremacy. Many of these institutions were actively used to dispossess Māori of their lands and take the lives of Māori who opposed them. NZ has a history of both conscious and unconscious racism within its institutions, whose actions have caused intergenerational harm to Māori not only physically, but also spiritually, socially, culturally, and psychologically. 

Examples of NZ’s long history of disproportionate police and criminal justice power being used against Māori include the invasions and ransacking of Parihaka in 1881 and Maungapōhatu in 1916, through to the raids in Te Urewera in 2007. The dawn raids of the 1970s and 80s are a well-known example of excessive police power used against Pasifika peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today, Māori men and women make up 50% and 63% of NZ’s prison population, respectively. First-time Māori offenders are seven times more likely to be charged, and twice as likely to be sent to court, than Pākehā offenders. Furthermore, Māori are over eight times and Pasifika peoples nearly four times more likely than Pākehā to have various force tactics (e.g. handcuffs, baton, taser, pepper spray, firearm, dog) threatened or used against them when confronted by Police (see full stats here). Despite countless reports on the institutional bias against Māori throughout our criminal justice system, including the seminal Puao-Te-Ata-Tu report in 1988, reports by experts like Moana Jackson (He Whaipaanga Hou), and organisations such as Just Speak, very little has changed in practice over many decades.

APPA acknowledges that injustices against Māori, Pasifika, Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour also extend into the areas of waste, pollution and ecological degradation. NZ has long treated indigenous and foreign lands as disposable, from the use of the Public Works Act to confiscate Māori land in order to construct landfills to the exports of our plastics and other waste to Southeast Asia. We acknowledge the many acts of injustice done to the Pacific Islands and their peoples including the pollution and destruction caused by mining, deforestation, tourism and trade (including the dumping of pesticides restricted by the World Health Organisation), commercial fishing waste and over-fishing, nuclear testing, dumping of waste from biological weapons testing and irradiated soil, and other military-related waste, and that Pasifika peoples are some of the first to lose their ancestral lands as a result of sea-level rise and more frequent and damaging storm events from climate change.   

APPA acknowledges and stands with Māori, Pasifika, Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour on the front lines of protest against fossil carbon extraction. This frontline frequently involves face to face conflict with police and legal battles with Government, from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline in the US, to the Waorani and Kichwa lawsuits to halt mining and oil extraction on ancestral lands in Amazonian Ecuador, to the steadfast work of Te Ikaroa (made up of 80 hapu and iwi) in combating Statoil and Chevron drilling for oil off Te Tai Rāwhiti/East Cape. 

APPA acknowledges and stands with Māori, Pasifika, Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour to let the world know that they face the worst impacts of climate change, waste and plastic pollution. We recognise the tireless mahi of rangatira Māori who, through organisations like Para Kore, ensure that all conversations concerning the wellbeing of human existence and the natural world go beyond the exploitative and supremacist cultural values that many Pākehā institutions were built on.

APPA’s kaupapa is to “prevent plastic pollution in Aotearoa and Oceania as an integral part of restoring the mauri of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and Tangaroa (God of the Sea)”. Our kaupapa recognises that the causes of violence against the natural world often stem from the same exploitative and supremacist values that underpin other forms of violence such as racism. 

APPA’s mahi (re)connects people with people, and people with environment, emphasising the value in all things and all people, and the interrelationships between all things. Our work is local and global and grounded in environmental and social justice.   

Justice is not possible until all people are safe from symbolic, physical, and systemic violence. We recognise the value and dignity of all people, no matter the colour of their skin or their ethnic identity. We stand with the millions of people around the world supporting #BlackLivesMatter, and acknowledge our responsibility to stand against injustices towards Māori and Pasifika peoples in Aotearoa and Oceania.  We lift our voices to demand justice, for all people, and for the planet, and commit to take action in support of these demands.

APPA pledges to:

• Call out and condemn all forms of racism in APPA’s field of work and beyond

• Amplify the voices of Māori, Pasifika, Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour by sharing their content through our group’s and individual members’ online channels

• Increase the diversity of the APPA membership and committee, and ensure representation of Māori, Pasifika, Black and Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour in our webinars and speaking events

• Donate to #BlackLivesMatter, and local causes such as SOUL (Save Our Unique Landscape / #ProtectIhumātao)

• Add these actions to APPA’s standing agenda for our monthly meetings to hold ourselves accountable

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