There are many articles about this bill, what it seeks to do and the pros and cons of the bill in its current form. See below some great articles, including some videos that step through what the amendment bill would do, if passed into law:
What was striking about this bill’s first reading in Parliament, wasn’t just the bill itself, but two aspects from the debate:
With the written submissions process now closed, and oral submissions due soon, we wait to see if the select committee will recommend to the House that the Bill be passed into law. Lessons learned from overseas demonstrate that right to repair legislation delivers benefits to consumers; supports the growth of local repair industries and meaningful, skilled work in the repair sector; and improves our ability to keep our own possessions running longer and out of landfill. This short video from Dr Paul Smith shows how Right to Repair legislation works in the UK.
And let’s not forget about some of the great New Zealand businesses already embracing repair – Cactus Outdoor, Kowtow, Macpac, and Blunt amongst others.
Adaptative reuse is not a particularly new concept, people have been repurposing churches, barns and industrial spaces into houses and residential spaces for generations. But the resurgence of the idea makes building and business owners first question the key needs they have from a space, and if those needs can be met by an existing structure. Implementing adaptative reuse also supports organisations that are now required to report on their climate impact, to address their climate concerns and reduce their emissions footprint.
A great example of adaptative reuse in New Zealand is the redevelopment of the Britomart precinct in Auckland. All manner of buildings were converted into restaurants, shops, hotels and recreational spaces. This then extends down into the tank farm that created a waterfront recreational space for Auckland.
Want to know more? This Autodesk article details more about adaptative reuse, as well as some great international case studies.
A global panel is calling time on recycling and wanting to shift the focus to reuse, but recognises that reuse lacks an internationally recognised symbol. So, they have launched the Rebrand Reuse initiative, which invites designers worldwide to submit proposed designs for the reuse icon, which is ‘needed to differentiate reusable products from recyclables and other single-use waste, enabling consumers to keep them out of recycling and landfills while acting as a beacon for how new reuse systems work’.
The competition is open until 31 May 2025 and is being run by the PR3 Global Standards Panel.
Want to know more, pass this on to any designers you know, or even submit your own design? Go to the Rebrand Reuse website.
The reuse blog, We Choose Reuse, brings you stories from the frontlines of reuse, in the hope it provides inspiration to others. We will be publishing this blog on a quarterly basis so send any reuse initiatives to fiona@wasteminz.org.nz to be included in the next one.
This blog is proudly brought to you by the WasteMINZ Reuse Working Group. The Reuse Working Group is an initiative of the Product Stewardship Sector Group but is supported by other WasteMINZ sector groups. Its main purpose is to raise the profile of reuse and make it more talked about than recycling.