Dame Janice Claire Wright was New Zealand's third Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. She was sworn in as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment for a five-year term on 5 March 2007, and was reappointed for a further five years in 2012. Wright has a Physics degree from the University of Canterbury, a master's degree in Energy and Resources from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, and a PhD in Public Policy from the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

. Prior to her current role, Wright taught at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara, worked as an independent policy and economic consultant for many different NZ government agencies and as a member of various Crown entity boards. She was the board chairman of

Land Transport New Zealand Land Transport New Zealand was a Crown entity in New Zealand, tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, and includes responsibilities such as driver and vehicle licensing. It was created on 1 December 2004 by the Land Transpor ...

, and in that role was the presenter of the 2005 Cycle Friendly Awards. In her role as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Wright has criticised the Government a number of times for its policies towards the environment. In 2013 she criticised planned amendments to the Resource Management Act, saying it "is not, and should not become, an economic development act". In 2012 she said changes to the

Emissions Trading Scheme Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...

would cost New Zealand in the long-term, criticising concessions made to big business. Earlier in 2012 she said the Government had "dropped the ball" on the environment. Wright retired from the Commission at the end of her second term. She was replaced by former

Environment Minister An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

and

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

Environment head

Simon Upton Simon David Upton (born 7 February 1958) is a former New Zealand politician and member of Parliament from 1981 to 2001, representing the National Party, and the current Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Early life Upton was edu ...

. In April 2018, Wright was announced as a member of the Interim Climate Change Committee, set up while a formal Climate Change Commission was established under the proposed Zero Carbon Act. In 2018 Wright became chair of conservation project Te Manahuna Aoraki. Wright is a Companion of the

Royal Society of New Zealand Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

. In 2012, she was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Lincoln University. In the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, she was appointed a

Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to the state and the environment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Jan Living people University of Canterbury alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Officers of the Parliament of New Zealand New Zealand women scientists UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Companions of the Royal Society of New Zealand Year of birth missing (living people) Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni New Zealand schoolteachers New Zealand economists Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit