Minister of Climate Change

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.

Minister of Climate Change
Coat of arms of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand
Incumbent Simon Watts since 27 November 2023
Ministry for the Environment
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Executive Council
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Precursor	Convenor of Ministerial Group on Climate Change; Minister for Climate Change Issues; Minister for International Climate Change Negotiations
Formation	14 August 2002
First holder	Pete Hodgson
Salary	$288,900[1]
Website	beehive.govt.nz

The present Minister is Simon Watts.^[2]

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.^[3]

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Minister is responsible for representing New Zealand in international negotiations on climate change.^[3]

List of ministers

Minister of Climate Change

Key

  Labour   National   Green

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of Office		Prime 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 Hodgson Acting[4]		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 Foss Acting[5]		21 March 2012	2 April 2012
	4	Tim 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.^[6] 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."^[7]

No.	Name	Portrait	Title	Term of Office		Prime Minister
	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