Environment Act 1986

This Act established the Ministry for the Environment and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (Commissioner).

Last updated: 31 March 2021

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Environment Act 1986 [New Zealand Legislation website]

About the Act

The Environment Act 1986 established the Ministry for the Environment and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (Commissioner).

The Commissioner is an officer of Parliament appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House of Representatives for a five-year term. The Commissioner provides an independent check on the system and processes of environmental management and the performance of public authorities on environmental matters.

The functions of the Ministry for the Environment as set out in the Act are to:

• advise the Minister on all aspects of environmental administration, including:
  • management policies for natural and physical resources and ecosystems to meet the objectives of the Environment Act 1986
  • significant environmental impacts of public or private sector proposals, particularly those that are inadequately covered by existing legislative or other environmental assessment requirements
  • ensuring effective provision is made for public participation in environmental planning and policy formulation, particularly at the regional and local level
  • the application, operation, and effectiveness of the Acts specified in the Schedule to the Environment Act 1986 in relation to the achievement of the objectives of the Act
  • procedures for the assessment and monitoring of environmental impacts
  • pollution control and the co-ordination of the management of pollutants in the environment
  • the identification and likelihood of natural hazards and the reduction of the effects of natural hazards
  • the control of hazardous substances, including the management of the manufacture, storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous substances