PCE annual report for the year ended 30 June 2025

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has released his annual report for the year ended 30 June 2025.

The Commissioner says, “Over the last year, I have travelled widely in regional New Zealand listening to what farmers and rural communities had to say about my report on land use change, Going with the Grain. A common message I received was that our lurching, stop-start approach to policy development is not just a significant barrier to making progress on environmental outcomes, but a real turn-off for many people who want to get on with improving things. The pervasive uncertainty hanging over the direction of policy means investing in solutions is seen as risky. With the policy landscape still up for grabs after a decade of sustained calls for action on water quality, biodiversity and climate, people are losing interest.

Despite that, there is widespread agreement across rural New Zealand on the greatest environmental challenges we face: climate change, freshwater quality, biodiversity loss and the growing threat from pests and weeds. There is also broad understanding about the long-term, interconnected nature of these challenges and the need for sustained, joined-up solutions.”