Disbanding Ministry for the Environment makes this ‘the most anti-environment government’, say Greens
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Angry Green MPs on the Environment Select Committee dubbed the Government “the most anti-environment government” this country ever had, while Labour MP said they were appalled at its “constant attacks on the environment”.
Friday saw the publication of the committee’s report into the bill to disband the Ministry for the Environment (MFE), and fold its functions into a super ministry to be called the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT).
National and ACT MPs had the numbers on the committee to ensure it recommended Parliament approve the bill, with one concession to transparency.
That was that a new clause be put into the bill to require the Secretary for the Environment to report annually on performance of MCERT against its obligations in the Environment Act.
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The super ministry is being created, according to the Government, in a bid to cut costs, promote faster decision-making and, as Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka put it in February at the bill’s first reading, to “unlock the potential of New Zealand cities and regions, boosting economic growth and productivity through lower transaction costs, a simpler and more responsive Public Service, and a more integrated planning and investment environment”.
But the bill has appalled politicians who see themselves as stewards of the environment, as well as members of the public.
It’s usual for naysayers to outnumber supporters of law change in consultations, but the bill attracted 588 submissions and all but five were overtly opposed to the bill.
The tone of opposition was set in the first reading, when Labour’s Priyanca Radhakrishnan called it “an absolute disgrace”, and linked it to what she said was a radical, far-right war on nature and climate policy.
She linked it to other Government moves including fast-track laws and reducing funding for the Department of Conservation.
Green MP Lan Pham asked: “What happened to caring about our environment? It used to be something that was genuinely accepted as something that Governments of all stripes did, and yet here we are.”
“Burying the Ministry for the Environment in a super ministry designed to drive development, growth, and infrastructure is the clearest possible signal that this Government can give that environment comes last,” she said during the bill’s first reading debate.
ACT’s Simon Court tied the bill back to re-establishing affordable lives for younger New Zealanders, and returning the country to a development mindset.
“Today is about fixing what matters: affordable homes, reliable roads, and a planning system that says ‘Yes’, and, not ‘No, and here’s the bill’.”
He was pleased to see rationalisation of government agencies.
“Core Crown spending now consumes around a third of the economy,” he said. “The tax takes around a third of GDP. Between 2017 and 2023, under a Labour-Greens Government, the core Public Service grew by more than 30%. More agencies, more officials, but not more houses, not better and faster roads, and certainly not cheaper infrastructure.”
Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke opposed the bill saying: “We need to prioritise the environment first and foremost.”
The select committee report outlined criticisms of the bill from submitters.
It included fears that the new super ministry would have a fundamental conflict of interest, and could prioritise development over the environment.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended MFE be left out of the super ministry.