Budgeted Govt spend on environment similar to past year - PCE

Central government agencies are expected to spend approximately $3.55 billion on the environment in the 2024/25 fiscal year, according to the latest estimate of environmental expenditure from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

This total is similar to the forecast for the previous fiscal year ($3.60 billion), and in line with 2022/23 ($3.54 billion), but the composition of that expenditure has changed considerably.

Since 2023/24, budgeted climate adaptation spending has increased by $666 million as government agencies budget for recovery efforts following recent extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods. By contrast, spending on emissions reduction activities decreased by $370 million, spending on the environmental management system decreased by $139 million and spending on pollution and waste decreased by $25 million.