Dame Jan Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright in 2023 | |
| 3rd Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment | |
| In office March 2007 –October 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Morgan Williams |
| Succeeded by | Simon Upton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Janice Claire Wright |
| Scientific career | |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Fields | Public policy |
| Thesis | Investments that save lives:the norms of environmental and medical decision making (1997) |
Dame Janice Claire Wright DNZM CRSNZ 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,and a PhD in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to her current role,Wright taught at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Ōtara, [1] worked as an independent policy and economic consultant for many different NZ government agencies and as a member of various Crown entity boards. [2] She was the board chairman of Land Transport New Zealand,and in that role was the presenter of the 2005 Cycle Friendly Awards. [3]
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". [4] [5] In 2012 she said changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme would cost New Zealand in the long-term,criticising concessions made to big business. [6] Earlier in 2012 she said the Government had "dropped the ball" on the environment. [7] [8]
Wright retired from the Commission at the end of her second term. She was replaced by former Environment Minister and OECD Environment head Simon Upton. [9] 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. [10] In 2018 Wright became chair of conservation project Te Manahuna Aoraki. [11]
Wright is a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand. [12] In 2012,she was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Lincoln University. [13] In the 2023 New Year Honours,she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit,for services to the state and the environment. [14]
