The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) welcomes the decision by the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) to withdraw its appeal of the High Court’s decision confirming the Authority had acted lawfully when deciding not to reassess glyphosate.

ELI filed a claim in judicial review challenging a 2024 decision by the EPA that there was no significant new information about glyphosate that would warrant grounds for a reassessment of the weedkiller.

In October 2025, the High Court ruled that the EPA had acted lawfully when making the decision about glyphosate. The judgment 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.

ELI had appealed the High Court decision to the Court of Appeal but on 5 May abandoned the appeal.

"As we said at the time of the ruling, this case sets an important precedent for how the EPA applies the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996," says Acting Manager of Hazardous Substances Applications Dr Shaun Presow.

"It also reinforces the value of our expert scientists and our commitment to transparency and science-based decision-making."

Dr Presow says the EPA is monitoring international advice and regulations around using glyphosate as a weedkiller and ensuring New Zealand’s polices and regulations aligned.

"We are constantly monitoring international developments and will continue to review any new research relevant to the New Zealand context," he says.

© Scoop Media