Environment Minister Nick Smith yesterday named the new authority board which is chaired by former Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast and includes Port Otago chairman and former Fulton Hogan managing director Dave Faulkner.
Mr Chauvel said the authority had never been a body designed to protect the environment. Its primary legislation, passed by Parliament last month, did not give it that task or purpose, he said.
"Today's announcement - that it will have the job of deciding on offshore mining and minerals exploration activity, with limited appeal rights and sped-up processes - confirms that Nick Smith is an economic development minister posing as an environment minister."
National decided two years ago to increase offshore exploration activity. Over that time, there had been just one public servant across the whole of New Zealand charged with safety inspections for all onshore and offshore drilling, he said.
There had been minimal public consultation with affected communities like iwi and others on the East Coast who had been concerned about activity in the Raukumara Basin.
It was only good luck, not good management, that had seen New Zealand avoid any environmental accidents during that period, Mr Chauvel said.
However, Dr Smith said the new authority was about strengthening New Zealand's environmental management and efficiently bringing together the regulatory functions that were previously spread across four different agencies.
The new authority as an independent Crown entity, took effect on July 1 and would be responsible for regulation of hazardous substances, new organisms, national consenting under the Resource Management Act, ozone depleting chemicals, assessments of environmental effects in the Antarctic and waste exports and imports.
The management of the emissions trading scheme (ETS) would transfer to the authority on January 1, 2012, and the consenting in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf on July 1, next year.
Green Party resource management spokesman David Clendon said the authority's board was light on environmental champions and heavy on development and infrastructure representatives.
"None of the eight board members really represent the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who love this place and want to look after it. They do represent business interests such as roading companies and phone companies," he said.
The board
Former Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast (chairwoman), Port Otago chairman and former Fulton Hogan managing director Dave Faulkner, former Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu chief executive Anake Goodall, retiring Meridian Energy chief executive Tim Lusk, inaugural Electricity Commission board member Graham Pinnell, Learning Media and Maori Broadcasting Agency board member Taria Tahana, Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) chairman Richard Woods, and Cawthron Institute chief executive Gillian Wratt.
