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The article focuses on the environmental health protection issues in New Zealand and compares the environemtal law in the country with that in the U.S. The Environmental Performance Index ranked New Zealand first out of 133 countries in the areas of health, biodiversity, energy, water, air, and natural resources, in an announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in January 2006 in Davos, Switzerland. With 78.5/100 points, the U.S. ranked 28th. Demand for water for all purposes is increasing in New Zealand. The current pressures on freshwater ecosystems are less severe in New Zealand than those in many other industrialized countries. As the 1986 New Zealand Environment Act establishes the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment and its associated minister, it roughly corresponds to the 1969 U.S. National Environmental Policy Act.

The article presents information related to environmental health practitioners' duties during emergencies in the U.S. Environmental health practitioners must take active part in local and state emergency response planning efforts. They must understand the value of their skills in response to emergency events. Environmental health practitioners need to be flexible. They should apply their skills and knowledge across several areas of environmental health. The basics of environmental health are often needed to be reviewed by practitioners. They address and evaluate a variety of environmental issues. They have the ability to collect, analyze, and translate environmental data in emergencies. The need for environmental health practitioners and resources during emergencies was demonstrated by the environmental health issues that arose during the 2005 hurricane season. During emergencies, environmental health practitioners have essential roles to play.