Wetlands,
Southland

Current investigations

Starting reviews and investigations

The Commissioner has seven statutory functions under the Environment Act to investigate environmental issues, processes and public agencies. As an Officer of Parliament, the Commissioner has a unique opportunity to provide Parliament with independent advice in its consideration of any matters that may have an impact on the quality of the environment. The Commissioner also communicates her advice to a wider public audience.

Investigations may also result from suggestions or complaints from concerned citizens and groups.

Current Work

The following is the list of priorities of work the Commissioner identified in the 2011 Statement of Intent.

Climate change is the most important environmental issue facing the world and will remain an area where the office will be active. Connections to climate change policies will continue to feature in reports and advice. Climate change remains an area where the dissemination of information is especially appreciated.

Electricity has an obvious connection to climate change because thermal power plants emit carbon dioxide. And all new power plants, renewable or not, have environmental impacts. How and where electricity is generated will remain a topic of ongoing interest.

Water management remains one of New Zealand’s greatest environmental challenges. Understanding the science of water quality is vital for managing this hugely complex issue. Work is underway on the extent to which pressures on water quality can be mitigated and on how we might best measure and report on water quality.

Biodiversity is a new focus of attention, with a report on the use of 1080 due to be completed before the end of this financial year. As a result the office is building its expertise in this area. How biodiversity might be best measured and reported on will also be considered.

Transport fuel has been an active area in the past and is likely to continue to be so. Proposals to turn low-grade Southland lignite coal deposits into diesel and other products illustrate the tension between energy security and our international commitment to tackling climate change, and highlight problems with the Emissions Trading Scheme. Work done on a strategy for developing biofuels is also pertinent here and could be extended.

Mining especially on conservation land, will remain an issue that is monitored. The investigation of this subject last year has generated a wider interest in the commercial use of conservation land. Seabed mining may be another focus.

Environmental agencies and processes are expected to undergo more change. The Environmental Protection Authority will be created as a Crown Entity in July this year, and monitoring its evolution as it gains more functions and powers will be important. Further amendments to the Resource Management Act are likely. It is probable that the introduction of an Environmental Reporting Bill will have significant implications for the work of the office.