Jan Wright

Who is Jan Wright?

Dr Jan Wright is 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, which has since been renewed for another five years.

Wright has a Physics degree from the University of Canterbury, a Masters degree in Energy and Resources from Berkeley University in California, and a PhD in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to her current role, Wright worked as an independent policy and economic consultant for many different NZ government agencies and as a member of various Crown Entity Boards. She was the board chairman of Land Transport New Zealand, and in that role was the presenter of the 2005 Cycle Friendly Awards.

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".