The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) welcomes the High Court’s ruling last week that it acted lawfully when deciding not to reassess glyphosate, a commonly used weedkiller.

The Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) filed a claim in judicial review challenging the EPA’s 2024 decision that there was no significant new information about glyphosate that would warrant a reassessment of the weedkiller.

The judgment released on 17 October 2025 recognised the EPA’s role as New Zealand’s authority on hazardous substances and confirmed it has wide discretion when deciding whether to reassess a chemical.

The Court accepted the EPA as the expert body on the subject and found no error in the way the EPA’s experts approached the decision. In particular, when ELI presented the EPA with studies and literature reviews on glyphosate, the EPA was entitled to scrutinise that material for reliability and to weigh it against other recent reviews by international regulators.

The Court also considered claims made by ELI that the EPA failed to apply the legislation properly, did not follow proper procedures, and was inconsistent in its decisions. After reviewing the case, the Court rejected all of ELI’s arguments and found that the EPA acted lawfully and appropriately throughout the process.

Recently, regulators from jurisdictions including the European Union, Australia, and the United States have extensively reviewed glyphosate. They concluded it should not be classified as a carcinogen and that any potential risks from using the substance have not changed.

"We will continue to monitor international developments and review any new research relevant to the New Zealand context," says Dr Shaun Presow, Manager Hazardous Substances Reassessments.

"This case sets an important precedent for how the EPA applies the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996. It also reinforces the value of our expert scientists and our commitment to transparency and science-based decision-making."

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