The Minister of Climate Change is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for climate change policy. The position was formally established in 2005 as Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues, but was preceded by the informal role of Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, which was held by the Minister of Energy Pete Hodgson.
The present Minister is Simon Watts.
Responsibilities The Minister of Climate Change has direct responsibility for the overall climate change policy direction at the domestic and international level. This includes responsibility for the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and for setting emissions budgets and preparing emissions reduction and national adaptation plans under the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Minister is responsible for representing New Zealand in international negotiations on climate change.
List of ministers Minister of Climate Change Key
No.NamePortraitTerm of OfficePrime Minister As Convenor of Ministerial Group on Climate Change 1 Pete Hodgson 14 August 2002 19 October 2005 Clark As Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues 2 David Parker 19 October 2005 21 March 2006 Clark (1) Pete HodgsonActing 21 March 2006 3 May 2006 (2) David Parker 3 May 2006 19 November 2008 As Minister for Climate Change Issues 3 Nick Smith 19 November 2008 21 March 2012 Key–Craig FossActing21 March 20122 April 2012 4Tim Groser 2 April 2012 14 December 2015 5 Paula Bennett 14 December 2015 26 October 2017 English As Minister of Climate Change 6 James Shaw 26 October 2017 27 November 2023 Ardern Hipkins 7 Simon Watts 27 November 2023 present Luxon
Minister for International Climate Change Negotiations Separate ministerial responsibility for International Climate Change Negotiations was established under the Fifth National Government, first through an Associate Minister role and then as a full Minister. The responsibilities associated with this portfolio were incorporated within the Climate Change Issues portfolio in 2012, after a brief period in which Tim Groser held both portfolios. At the time, Prime Minister John Key stated that the reason for the change in title was to address diplomatic misconceptions: "The reality is it partly in the sense that when he turns up at this meetings, people look at him and say `if you are the associate minister, where is the minister?' And of course when it comes to international negotiations, he is the minister."
No. Name Portrait Title Term of Office PrimeMinister 1 Tim Groser Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues (International Negotiations) 24 November 2008 27 January 2010 Key Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations 27 January 2010 2 April 2012
References
External links New Zealand Ministry for the Environment