Words: Autocar
Published 4 June 2026
The Motor Industry Association (MIA) has backed plans for harmonised Australia-New Zealand guidelines for the safe management of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, while calling for greater recognition of New Zealand’s conditions and the automotive sector’s existing recycling pathways.
The submission was made to EPA Victoria, which is leading consultation on behalf of the Heads of Environmental Protection Agencies (HEPA) in Australia and New Zealand.
The proposed guidelines are designed to improve understanding of how end-of-life lithium-ion batteries should be safely managed and disposed of, promote a consistent approach to risk management across Australia and New Zealand, and provide guidance on battery collection, transportation, handling, storage and resource recovery.
While supporting the overall intent of the guidelines, the MIA says they must work for both the automotive industry and the New Zealand operating environment.
The association says HEPA “should consider a tiered framework that can be tailored to New Zealand’s conditions” and support “a phased implementation aligned with current infrastructure capability”.
The MIA also says the guidelines “should clearly define roles and responsibilities across the supply chain to avoid ambiguity and ensure accountability”.
It says the framework should recognise existing industry practices and that the guidelines “should reflect and support existing automotive sector recycling and reuse pathways”.
The association has also called for a more targeted approach to battery management, saying the guidelines “should be more targeted and differentiate between different types of damage, battery conditions and battery types”.
The MIA says regulators should consider taking “a risk-based approach” and align requirements with existing dangerous goods classifications.
The consultation forms part of wider efforts to improve the safe handling, transport and recovery of lithium-ion batteries as electric vehicle numbers continue to grow across Australia and New Zealand.
*Click here to read MIA’s full submission.
