What have the Contaminated Land Management Sector Group Steering Committee been up to, and what are the key issues for the sector? Steering Committee Chair James Corbett explains below.
Key activities:
Soil Reuse
• Minister keynote address and work programme at the conference confirmed a commitment to progress the first three priorities of the soil reuse report:
- a national soil market assessment (with regional detail), targeted interventions
- a legislative review, and
- development of a soil management framework.
• An advisory/steering group is being set up, (to include Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport, WasteMINZ and industry)
• Additional work ongoing to engage with development industry
• A WasteMINZ and Civil Contractors NZ Memorandum of Understanding developed to enable collaboration and shared advocacy.
Conference 2026
• Successful delivery of inaugural joint conference with ALGA. Great collaboration.
• Dr Nick Kim was a highlight keynote; along with the well-attended groundwater workshop.
• The Women in Industry breakfast indicates an “appetite” for more similar events.
• Presentations https://www.wasteminz.org.nz/clm-workshop-presentations-2026
• Next year’s conference to be bigger and better – feedback for improvements already noted!
Submissions
• Engagement with health & safety expert Mike Cosman regarding an asbestos sector review. Report completion date TBC.
• Sector Group met with MCERT on 27 July to discuss successes of and proposed improvements to the Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfills Fund – watch this space for what could be significant change.
• RMA Reforms.
The key challenges facing the sector
• Key ministry change: new MCERT connections to be forged.
• Legislation: RMA, local government functions and duties
• Governance change: Local & regional government; central government elections.
• Opportunities and time available to engage; focus.
• Funding
• Engagement with other related industries – e.g. development/civil works & construction.
What the sector group is doing to address these challenges
• Invitations for MCERT to engage with the CLM sector and to present to industry through webinars.
• Legislation: submission opportunities for members through CLM/submission working groups
• Open door for members to discuss with CLM members, request responses through communications including webinars.
• Reduction of emails/communications to members through Circular; keeping to key issues and enabling members to input towards focussed responses.
• Proposed change to sector groups will enable separation of governance/strategic direction from working groups providing members with more opportunities to be involved.
• Funding partners for work streams being considered as part of project plan.
• Working relationship with ALGA and other organisations such as Civil Contractors being explored/developed.
Broader issues facing the sector group
• Challenging work environment for involvement while industry seeks to make ends meet.
• Slow or no response from government (issue complexity, changed focus/drivers, churn!)
• Pace of change including tight response times for submissions (noted also a narrowing of submission response templates probably to assist assessment by AI).
