Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

Description

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is an independent officer of the New Zealand Parliament who investigates and reports on environmental issues.

The role was created under the Environment Act 1986, replacing an earlier government body called the Commission for the Environment. The Commissioner is appointed by the Governor-General for a five-year term and reports directly to Parliament rather than to a government minister. This makes the office independent of the government of the day.

The Commissioner investigates environmental concerns, assesses how well New Zealand’s system of environmental management works, and gives independent advice to Parliament, local government, businesses, communities and other agencies. Unlike the Ministry for the Environment or the Department of Conservation, it does not implement policy; its whole output is independent reports and advice aimed at maintaining or improving the quality of New Zealand’s environment.

A small multi-disciplinary team of researchers and advisors supports the Commissioner across fields from ecology and law to economics and mātauranga Māori. The current Commissioner, Simon Upton, was sworn in in 2017 and is serving his second term. The office is based in Wellington, New Zealand.