The National Environment Service (NES) or Tu’anga Taporoporo is pleased to accept written submissions on the new Environment Bill 2024.Â
Please click here for the announcement on 22nd May 2024.Â
The Cook Islands Government recognise the need to improve and strengthen the current legal platform through which environmental management and to provide an effective, efficient and workable environmental legal regime in Cook Islands. The intention of this bill is to repeal the Environment Act 2003, which serves to address existing and emerging issues in the last two decades, include biodiversity loss, climate change, land-use, waste, increased tourism, use of natural resources, and management of the marine areas.
The development of the bill follows the National Environment Policy, 2022-2032 (NEP 2022-2032) endorsed by Cabinet in December 2022. The Policy highlighted significant gaps in the current legal framework for environmental management for the Cook Islands underlining that the Environment Act 2003 does not achieve its purpose and lacks operative details. Other gaps include overlapping across other legislations relating to water, land, biodiversity, biosecurity, protected areas, and pollution on land and marine environment.
We request that you provide written submissions on the draft bill by using the template here .
We will not accept any input or changes provided through ‘tracked changes’ on the bill document or PDF.
Please send all written submissions in this template, via email to tekura.moekaa@cookislands.gov.ck by no later than 4.00pm Friday 9th August 2024.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any questions:
Tekura Moekaa | NES Manager Environmental Policy & Planning
tekura.moekaa@cookislands.gov.ck
Roselyn Strickland / NES Environment Legal Counsel
roselyn.strickland@cookislands.gov.ck
