| Ministry for the Environment | |
|---|---|
| Manatū Mō Te Taiao | |
| Ministry for the Environment logo | |
| Agency overview | |
| Jurisdiction | New Zealand |
| Minister responsible | Hon Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment |
| Agency executive | Paul Reynolds, Chief Executive |
| Website | |
| http://mfe.govt.nz/ | |
The Ministry for the Environment (Māori: Manatū Mō Te Taiao) (MfE) advises the New Zealand Government on environmental laws, policies, standards and guidelines. It was established in 1986 as part of the Environment Act 1986.
The Environmental Protection Authority was set up in 2011 to carry out some of the environmental regulatory functions of the MfE as well as other government departments.
In 1997 the Ministry released New Zealand's first State of the Environment report.[1] This was followed up in 2008 by a second report titled Environment New Zealand 2007.[2] Chapter 13 of this report was removed before final publication but was leaked to the Green Party. After the media reported the existence of the omitted chapter the Ministry placed the contents on its website.[3]
The Ministry for the Environment administer a number of environmental funds:[4]
They also run the Green Ribbon Awards which have been given out by the Minister for the Environment since 1990.[5]
| Name | PM served | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geoffrey Palmer | Lange, Palmer | 1987 | September 1990 | Labour |
| 2 | Simon Upton | Bolger, Shipley | 1990 | 1999 | National |
| 3 | Marian Hobbs | Clark | 10 December 1999 | 19 October 2005 | Labour |
| 4 | David Benson-Pope | Clark | 19 October 2005 | 27 July 2007 | Labour |
| David Parker (Acting) | Clark | 27 July 2007 | 31 October 2007[6] | Labour | |
| 5 | Trevor Mallard | Clark | 31 October 2007 | 19 November 2008 | Labour |
| 6 | Nick Smith | Key | 19 November 2008 | Incumbent | National |