In memory of Helen Hughes
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment notes with sadness, the passing of Helen Hughes, who served as New Zealand’s first Parliamentary Commissioner from 1987 until 1996. She was responsible for establishing the office as an independent environmental watchdog and was unafraid to challenge the government of the day.
During her tenure, Helen produced many reports that challenged the status quo and sought to improve environmental outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand. She took a wide view of the environment believing that society and culture were as important as its biophysical state. This approach led to her advocacy for respecting Treaty principles, Treaty settlement recommendations and enhanced Māori participation in the environmental management system. It was also behind her seminal investigation into New Zealand’s management of cultural and historical heritage, with findings that remain relevant today.
Early career
Born in Nelson in 1929, Helen completed a degree in botany at Canterbury University College, and subsequently studied at Vassar College in the United States as a Fulbright scholar. After working as a secondary school science teacher, she spent some time at the Fijian Department of Agriculture studying water weeds. She subsequently worked for the DSIR Freshwater Section, and later led an interdepartmental group that proposed a New Zealand Conservation Strategy.
In 1981 Helen was appointed as an Assistant Commissioner in the Commission for the Environment which was led at the time by Ken Piddington. She became Acting Commissioner during the Commission’s restructuring which in 1986 led to the creation of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and Helen’s appointment as is its first office holder.
Parliamentary Commissioner
As a Parliamentary Commissioner, Hughes had greater freedom over which environmental issues to investigate than had been possible in her former role. Her work was guided by public complaints, as well as her own observations about the deficiencies of the environmental management system. Public enquiries triggered her investigations into the role of the Treaty and Māori in environmental management, the sale of State forests, and the use of 1080 (an issue that would be revisited by subsequent Commissioners).
During her second five-year term, Helen was instrumental in overseeing and assessing the implementation of the new Resource Management Act. As well as issuing guidance and advice for councils which were coming to terms with the Act, she initiated a series of investigations reviewing the Act’s effectiveness and recommended improvements.
Throughout her tenure, Helen investigated the environmental management and effects of many specific projects as well as enquiring into broader issues. These issues ranged across the environment including coal mining, agrichemical spray drift, marine fisheries management, odour nuisance control and sustainable energy management. She also led two Select Committee inquiries. The first investigated the effectiveness of catchment management and flood protection in the aftermath of Cyclone Bola, while the second related to the environmental and social effects of coal mining in Huntly in relation to land subsidence.
Legacy
An important part of her legacy as PCE, was Helen’s work investigating the effectiveness of resource management processes and outcomes for Māori. Her report on Crown delays in implementing Waitangi Tribunal recommendations was a wake-up call to the Government of the day, and she led a subsequent investigation to follow up on this work.
Simon Upton, the current Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says of her legacy: “Helen Hughes seminal work for New Zealand’s environment goes back to a time of great upheaval in a country that was still coming to grips with the need for professional, arms’ length environmental institutions.
“I first encountered her as a very young Minister implementing the vast reorganisation that followed in the wake of the enactment of the Resource Management Act in 1991. I was immediately aware that I was in the presence of a sharp intellect and a determined individual who, with great courtesy, was unflinching in ensuring that no-one could avoid the hard questions. The Office of the PCE today is the enduring legacy of her immense contribution nearly forty years ago.”
New Zealand's Parliamentary Commissioners for the Environment: Simon Upton (current), Dr Jan Wright (2007 - 2017), Dr J. Morgan Williams (1997 - 2007) and Helen Hughes (1987 - 1996).
