Tyrewise has allocated more than $1.2 million to nine projects aimed at finding productive uses for New Zealand’s end-of-life tyres.
The first funding round includes five projects focused on using recycled tyre rubber in roading, alongside trials involving permeable paving, kerb systems and micronised tyre particles for construction.
Funding has also been awarded to upgrade playground surfaces at schools in Marton and Bulls and at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Wairarapa using repurposed tyre materials.
Tyrewise fund adviser Dominic Salmon says the programme will help develop long-term domestic uses for tyre waste that has historically been stockpiled, sent to landfill or illegally dumped.
“Data from overseas underscores the performance and resiliency benefits of using rubber in chip seal and asphalt binding,” Salmon says.
“But we haven’t yet seen widespread use in New Zealand.”
Tyrewise estimates tyre-derived materials could consume between 16,000 and 18,000 tonnes of used tyres annually if adopted more widely in New Zealand roading projects.
The playground projects will replace existing surfaces with recycled tyre materials designed to provide a softer, safer and more accessible environment that is easier to maintain.
Salmon says the projects will increase New Zealand’s capacity to process, test and manufacture tyre-derived products.
“That means more new jobs and greater economic activity in engineering, construction and materials science.
“But the other huge win is in reducing the country’s reliance on offshore markets for handling our waste tyres, which is a supply chain resilience gain too.”
Tyrewise was established in 2024 and is funded through a stewardship fee applied to tyres sold in New Zealand. It says the equivalent volume of 155 Olympic swimming pools of tyres was diverted from domestic stockpiles and landfills during its first year.
Its Puna Taurima fund expects to distribute further grants during the remainder of 2026, taking total funding to more than $2.3m.
The full list of successful grant recipients can be found here.
