By Abbas Nazil
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand has strongly condemned the Government’s decision to abolish the Ministry for the Environment, calling the move a significant failure of leadership and a major setback for environmental protection in New Zealand.
Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham said the disestablishment of the ministry represents a profound betrayal of its founding purpose and sends a clear signal that environmental concerns are being deprioritized in favour of economic growth and infrastructure development.
According to Pham, the Ministry for the Environment was established in 1986 to ensure that protecting New Zealand’s natural world had a dedicated and influential voice within central government decision-making.
She argued that folding the ministry into a larger “super-ministry” focused on growth and infrastructure effectively sidelines environmental oversight at a time when worsening pollution and biodiversity decline demand stronger, not weaker, institutional support.
Pham criticised the responsible Minister for previously claiming that policy settings had swung too far in favour of environmental protection, despite official reporting showing continued deterioration in air quality, freshwater systems, ocean health, and native biodiversity.
She said recent assessments highlight increasing air pollution, freshwater contamination, marine degradation, and ongoing species loss, underscoring the need for robust environmental governance rather than structural dismantling.
The Green Party also pointed to the growing impacts of climate change, including repeated flooding events that have damaged communities, disrupted livelihoods, and imposed significant economic costs across the country.
Pham argued that dismantling the ministry during a period of intensifying climate-related disasters demonstrates misplaced priorities and weakens New Zealand’s ability to respond effectively to environmental crises.
She further alleged that the restructuring is intended to streamline consent processes for major infrastructure projects such as roads and mining operations, suggesting that economic growth is being prioritised “at any cost.”
Adding an environmental designation to a new consolidated department, she said, will not compensate for the loss of an independent ministry dedicated solely to environmental stewardship.
The Green Party maintains that New Zealanders expect stronger environmental protections and clearer accountability, and it has pledged to continue opposing what it describes as the erosion of environmental safeguards under the current Government.