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Planning Bill

Enforcement and other matters - Enforcement - Enforcement functions of EPA

223: EPA enforcement officers

You could also call this:

"Who can be an EPA enforcement officer and what they can do"

The government is proposing a new law that lets the EPA choose people to be enforcement officers. You can be an enforcement officer if you have the right experience and qualifications, or if you work for the EPA and have the right training. The EPA will give you a special warrant that says who you are and what powers you have. If you are an enforcement officer, you can only use your powers for the reasons you were appointed. You must carry your warrant and ID with you when you are working, and show them if someone asks. When you stop being an enforcement officer, you have to give your warrant back to the EPA. The EPA wants to make sure people follow the rules, and enforcement officers will help with this. You will be given a warrant that explains what you can and can't do. The EPA will make sure you have the right training and qualifications to do your job. The proposed law says what enforcement officers can and can't do, and how they should work. You will have to follow the rules and use your powers responsibly. The EPA will keep an eye on enforcement officers to make sure they are doing their job correctly.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1528584.

This page was last updated on 12 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationGovernment and voting > Government departments

222: EPA may change enforcement functions, or

"The EPA can change how it enforces the law in certain situations."

224: EPA may require information from local authority, or

"The EPA can ask councils for information to help with incidents"

Part 6Enforcement and other matters
Enforcement: Enforcement functions of EPA

223EPA enforcement officers

The EPA may authorise a person described in subsection (2) to be an enforcement officer for the purpose of carrying out its enforcement functions under this Act.
A person may be authorised as an enforcement officer if the person—
has appropriate experience, technical competence, and qualifications relevant to the area of responsibilities proposed to be allocated to the person; or
is an employee of the EPA who is suitably qualified and trained.

The EPA must supply each enforcement officer with a warrant that—
states the full name of the person; and
includes a summary of the powers conferred on the person under this Act.

An enforcement officer may exercise the powers under this Act, in accordance with their warrant, only for the purposes for which they were appointed.
An enforcement officer exercising a power under this Act must have with them, and must produce if required to do so, their warrant and evidence of their identity.
An enforcement officer who holds a warrant issued under this section must, on the termination of the officer’s appointment, surrender the warrant to the EPA.