Watchdog left out of discussions

New Zealand's leading environmental watchdog has been left out of parliamentary discussions on crucial changes to resource management law.

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) Jan Wright has not been invited to give advice to the local government and environment select committee on the streamlining of the Resource Management Act (RMA).

Instead, her input to the select committee has been confined to a letter to chairman Chris Auchinvole outlining her concerns.

Wright is an adviser to the emissions trading scheme review select committee.

Asked whether she had expected to be invited to advise the committee on RMA matters, Wright said: "I was half expecting they would, but I was, quite frankly, not disappointed when they didn't. There is only a certain amount of things we can do."

However, a parliamentary source said Wright was in there "boots and all" on the emissions trading scheme and it was remarkable she was not similarly involved with RMA hearings.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman was surprised at the commissioner's absence.

"It means you just have the officials from the Ministry (for the Environment) there.

"Those inside advisers do have a lot of influence because they are the ones the committee turns to for its first line of advice. It's significant whether you are invited or not."

While the party's seat on the select committee was usually occupied by Sue Kedgley, he routinely took Kedgley's place for RMA deliberations.

Norman said he was away the day he could have supported Wright's inclusion as an adviser to the select committee.

Auchinvole said there was "always the opportunity" for the commissioner, as an independent party, to make submissions.

"I'm very comfortable we have the officials who put the bill together and no-one who is independent is compromised. I would have thought myself that it was better to remain independent."

He had not yet seen Wright's letter.

Wright said the letter was not a formal submission on the bill.

She had not made one because of other work commitments.

"We can only do what we can do.

"We would be struggling to have the capacity to do it."

In the letter to Auchinvole, she said she did "anticipate engaging on the issues when the second phase of reforms [which includes the proposal to set up an Environmental Protection Authority] are introduced".

Wright told The Press: "I'm just flagging to them they may wish to ask me to be an adviser."

A select committee official contacted The Press to say Wright's letter was confidential to select committee proceedings until the committee chose to release it publicly.

The Press pointed out it was already in the public arena, on the PCE's website.

- © Fairfax NZ News