The Government has introduced legislation to amend the Resource Management Act and reduce the minimum housing capacity required for Auckland Council’s Plan Change 120, Housing and RMA Reform.

Development of New Zealand’s Flood Map has moved to the next stage, with a contractor now on board to set up how we bring together local, regional, and national data.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment addressed the Dairy Environment Leaders 2026 Forum. He recognised the environmental endeavours of the sector – but called for increased effort to halt declining trends in water quality, emissions and catchment health.

The Government has released a new national strategy to support the future development of geothermal energy.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has made a submission to the Environment Select Committee on the Environment (Disestablishment of Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Bill.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment wrote to Hon Simon Watts, Minister for Energy, outlining his concerns about the Government’s proposal to support the construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility.

New Zealand’s first national wastewater environmental standards became law late last year. As the standards begin to be implemented, some questions and misconceptions have emerged.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment underscored the importance of communicating environmental complexity effectively in his address to the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium 2026.

The Environmental Defence Society has launched a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has lodged its final submission on the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill with Parliament’s Environment Select Committee, including detailed tracked-change drafting to address significant weaknesses in the legislation.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has submitted on the Government’s Simplifying Local Government proposals.