Who are Environmental Protection and what do we do?

Greater Wellington's Environmental Protection Team manages pollution via site inspections, targeted investigations and a 24-hour, 7-day incident response service.

The main roles of the Environmental Protection Team are:

• Responding to and investigating environmental incidents, environmental effects and alleged non-compliance with resource consents, regional plans and the Resource Management Act 1991
• Preventing pollution through special projects and proactive monitoring (our Take Charge Programme)
• Taking enforcement action against those responsible for confirmed breaches of the Resource Management Act 1991

The team consists of Environmental Protection Officers located in Wellington and the Wairarapa. When responding to incidents, the role of the Environmental Protection Officer (also referred to as the duty officer) is largely one of coordination and investigation. On site, the duty officer’s role is to identify adverse environmental effects and direct those responsible to take any action necessary to remedy or mitigate the risk to the environment. Duty officers evaluate the environmental significance of each incident, assess compliance, determine necessary action, gather evidence and take enforcement action where appropriate.

To report an environmental incident, phone the environment hotline on 0800 496 734. While you'll need to provide your name, address and phone number, your details are confidential and won't be released to other parties.

Environmental Protection duty officer taking samples