The Environmental Reporting Bill 2014

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of State of the Environment Reporting both internationally, and with a specific emphasis on Environmental Reporting In New Zealand. It provides a summary of the various uses of State of the Environment Reports and their use in policy development, and highlights the importance of reporting independence from Executive Governments to ensure that the State of the Environment Reports are accurate and trusted. The essay provides a brief description and analysis of the two main frameworks used in State of the Environment Reports, and compares them to the framework developed by the Ministry for the Environment for use in New Zealand. The essay then goes on to discuss the Environmental Reporting Bill introduced by the New Zealand Government in February 2014. The essay concludes that the Environmental Reporting Bill in its current state has serious flaws that will result in State of the Environment Reports that are not independent and will not provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of New Zealand's environment.