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Summarised by Centrist
A select committee has recommended disestablishing the Ministry for the Environment as a standalone ministry. It would be folded into a new Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport mega ministry under a bill now before Parliament.
The Environment Select Committee received 588 written submissions. All but five were overtly opposed to the bill.
Despite that, the committee recommended by a majority that the bill be passed. It said the new structure would “not significantly change the functions of the current ministry”.
Greens environment spokesperson Lan Pham called the plan “an absolute travesty for New Zealand”.
Pham said the government was “pushing to bury that Ministry inside a mega-ministry focused on development and economic growth, despite no party campaigning on this and overwhelming opposition from experts, iwi and communities”.
She also raised transparency concerns, saying the select committee had “no assurance” that spending for the ministry would remain clear.
The bill is expected to return to Parliament for its second reading on Tuesday.
Editor’s note: RNZ’s framing makes it sound like environmental oversight itself is being dismantled. But the committee report states: “The bill proposes no substantive changes to the Ministry’s existing functions.” It also says: “Advice about environmental implications of ministerial decisions would still be provided.” The committee explicitly recommended a new annual reporting requirement to strengthen accountability after submitter concerns.
