This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Natural Environment Bill

Enforcement and other matters - Enforcement - Enforcement functions of EPA

249: EPA enforcement officers

You could also call this:

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

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

The proposed law says the EPA can choose someone to be an enforcement officer. You can be an enforcement officer if you have the right experience and qualifications, or if you work for the EPA and are suitably qualified and trained. The EPA must give each enforcement officer a warrant with their name and a summary of their powers. The EPA can only give enforcement officers powers for specific purposes. You can only use these powers if you have your warrant with you and can show it if asked. When an enforcement officer's job ends, they must give their warrant back to the EPA. The EPA wants to make sure enforcement officers have the right skills and follow the rules. You will know what an enforcement officer can and can't do because it's written in their warrant. The warrant is like a special ID card that says what the enforcement officer is allowed to do. The proposed law is trying to make sure enforcement officers do their job properly and fairly. You should be able to trust that enforcement officers are doing the right thing. The EPA is in charge of making sure enforcement officers follow the rules and do their job correctly.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1526811.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationGovernment and voting > Government departments

248: EPA may change enforcement functions, or

"The EPA can change how it handles environmental incidents to better protect the environment."

250: EPA may require information from local authority, or

"The EPA can ask councils for information to help with environmental issues"

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

249EPA 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 his or her 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.