For the first time, a government in our region has looked at its entire regulatory system at once, mapped the spider-web of regulatory functions and responsibilities, and made that picture available for everyone to see. The New Zealand Ministry for Regulation published its landmark regulatory landscape review on 20 May 2026. The findings are enlightening for regulators across Australia and New Zealand alike.
What did New Zealand find?
The review identified more than 260 organisations performing regulatory functions across central government, local/regional governments, and statutory bodies. It found responsibilities that are concentrated in some areas and fragmented across multiple agencies in others, with coordination pressure building in the spaces between them.
What is perhaps most telling is not what the review found, but that it needed to be done at all. How do regulatory systems improve if those responsible for them do not have a clear picture of how they are structured, where responsibilities sit, and where the pressure points are emerging?
Is Australia any different?
Australia’s regulatory landscape presents its own complexity. Across eight states and territories, each operating distinct environmental regulatory frameworks, alongside local government and a federal system undergoing its most substantial reform in decades, Australian regulators have long worked within a layered and jurisdictionally inconsistent environment.
The establishment of the National Environmental Protection Agency from 1 July 2026, represents a fundamental shift in how environmental law will be enforced at the federal level. Up until then Australia has had no independent national environmental regulator.
Its success will depend on sustained, meaningful coordination between Commonwealth agencies, state and territory governments, and the regulators responsible for on-the-ground implementation. How prepared are those relationships to carry that weight?
What does this mean for regulators on the ground?
It means greater complexity, more jurisdictional overlap, and a growing expectation that agencies will collaborate across boundaries that were not designed with collaboration in mind. Environmental protection authorities, land regulators, compliance teams, and policy agencies across Australia and New Zealand are being asked to deliver increasingly sophisticated regulatory outcomes within systems that were built incrementally over decades, and that do not always provide the shared infrastructure, common frameworks, or cross-agency relationships needed to support them.
The capability and confidence of the people within those systems matters as much as the systems themselves.
The AELERT exists to bridge the gap
The Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulation network (AELERT) has operated for over 23 years and brings together over 100 member agencies and thousands of practitioners across Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific, spanning the full breadth of regulatory functions. From policy designers and licensing administrators through to investigators, scientists, and field-based compliance officers. We work to connect regulators across jurisdictions and support them in their professional development to foster regulatory excellence across Australasia.
The work is already happening
Across agencies, jurisdictions, and disciplines, AELERT members are collaborating, innovating, and raising the standard of regulatory practice every day. They are building the relationships and sharing the knowledge that complex regulatory systems depend on. That is what AELERT is for.
There are several ways to get involved right now:
- AELERT 2026 Conference: Future Ready Regulation – 6 to 8 October, Sofitel Melbourne on Collins. The region’s premier gathering for environmental and land regulators to connect, share, and explore the challenges shaping the profession.
- Regulatory Masterclass Series – Tackling the most pressing issues facing regulators today, including artificial intelligence governance and regulatory ethics and accountability. Practical, expert-led, and designed for senior practitioners.
- AELERT Capability Suite pilot program – Our new pilot program offering a structured framework for professional development grounded in regulatory practice. Built for organisations and teams to lift operational capability.
