WWF-New Zealand opposes the Environment (Disestablishment of Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Bill and the proposed creation of the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). While the Bill does not formally change the Ministry for the Environment’s statutory functions, combining environmental oversight with portfolios focused on urban development, infrastructure and transport risks creating structural conflicts that could weaken the Ministry’s core environmental protection role.
New Zealand’s biodiversity is already in crisis, with one of the highest extinction rates per capita in the world. Strong environmental stewardship is essential to protect ecosystems, support climate resilience, and sustain industries such as tourism and agriculture that depend on healthy natural systems. WWF is concerned that, without clear safeguards, environmental priorities could be overshadowed by development objectives in the new Ministry.
WWF-New Zealand urges the Select Committee to strengthen the Bill to ensure environmental protection remains central to the new Ministry’s mandate, ensure the Secretary for the Environment retains the ability to provide independent environmental advice without pressure from competing mandates, and strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms to safeguard environmental outcomes.