# Minister of Climate Change

The Minister of Climate Change is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for climate change policy. The position was formally established in 2005 as Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues, but was preceded by the informal role of Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, which was held by the Minister of Energy Pete Hodgson.
The present Minister is Simon Watts.

## Responsibilities

The Minister of Climate Change has direct responsibility for the overall climate change policy direction at the domestic and international level. This includes responsibility for the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and for setting emissions budgets and preparing emissions reduction and national adaptation plans under the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Minister is responsible for representing New Zealand in international negotiations on climate change.

## List of ministers
### Minister of Climate Change
#### Key

Labour  National  Green
| No. | No. | Name | Term of Office | Term of Office | Prime Minister |
| As Convenor of Ministerial Group on Climate Change ||||||||
| | 1 | Pete Hodgson | 14 August 2002 | 19 October 2005 | Clark |
| As Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues ||||||||
| | 2 | David Parker | 19 October 2005 | 21 March 2006 | Clark |
| | (1) | Pete Hodgson Acting | 21 March 2006 | 3 May 2006 | Clark |
| | (2) | David Parker | 3 May 2006 | 19 November 2008 | Clark |
| As Minister for Climate Change Issues ||||||||
| | 3 | Nick Smith | 19 November 2008 | 21 March 2012 | Key |
| | – | Craig Foss Acting | 21 March 2012 | 2 April 2012 | Key |
| | 4 | Tim Groser | 2 April 2012 | 14 December 2015 | Key |
| | 5 | Paula Bennett | 14 December 2015 | 26 October 2017 | Key |
| | 5 | Paula Bennett | 14 December 2015 | 26 October 2017 | English |
| As Minister of Climate Change ||||||||
| | 6 | James Shaw | 26 October 2017 | 27 November 2023 | Ardern |
| | 6 | James Shaw | 26 October 2017 | 27 November 2023 | Hipkins |
| | 7 | Simon Watts | 27 November 2023 | present | Luxon |

### Minister for International Climate Change Negotiations

Separate ministerial responsibility for International Climate Change Negotiations was established under the Fifth National Government, first through an Associate Minister role and then as a full Minister. The responsibilities associated with this portfolio were incorporated within the Climate Change Issues portfolio in 2012, after a brief period in which Tim Groser held both portfolios. At the time, Prime Minister John Key stated that the reason for the change in title was to address diplomatic misconceptions: "The reality is it partly in the sense that when he turns up at this meetings, people look at him and say `if you are the associate minister, where is the minister?' And of course when it comes to international negotiations, he is the minister."
| No. | No. | Name | Portrait | Title | Term of Office | Term of Office | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| | 1 | Tim Groser | | Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues (International Negotiations) | 24 November 2008 | 27 January 2010 | | Key |
| | 1 | Tim Groser | | Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations | 27 January 2010 | 2 April 2012 | | Key |