Resource Management
Russell McVeagh has New Zealand's longest established and most experienced environmental and resource management practice. The team has tremendous depth and a wide range of experience in all areas of resource management law. Our focus is to work in a collaborative and strategic manner with clients to achieve the best possible outcome.
Our specialised Resource Management Team has expertise in a wide range of environmental and related local government areas, including:
- obtaining resource consents, designations and other environmental approvals for commercial and industrial developments;
- advising on the implications of land transport legislation, including the Land Transport Management Act 2003 and the Transit New Zealand Act 1989, as well as the New Zealand Land Transport Strategy;
- Māori Legal Resource Management;
- providing advice on rating and development contributions, and other local government regulation such as building consents;
- due diligence advice for company mergers, acquisitions and property transactions;
- new legislation and amendments to existing legislation;
- national and local authority planning documents (regional plans and policy statements, and district plans);
- compliance and liability issues, including defending enforcement proceedings and prosecutions.
The team has particular experience in large scale infrastructure work (water supply dams, wastewater treatment plants, airports, and electricity transmission), energy (thermal, hydro and wind generation projects, as well as oil and gas exploration and development), coastal (reclamations, commercial port and marina developments, and aquaculture), large-scale retail developments, dairy, forestry, quarrying, and petroleum retailing.
Our resource management clients include virtually all of the major owner / operators of substantial infrastructure assets in New Zealand. We act for the largest water / wastewater provider (Watercare Services Limited), New Zealand's largest airport company (Auckland International Airport Limited), Works Infrastructure Limited, substantial portfolio holders / developers of property assets in New Zealand (Westfield, Macquarie Goodman Limited, Woolworths, Telecom New Zealand), major forestry sector investors (Carter Holt Harvey, Hancock and others), and the country's major port company (Ports of Auckland Limited). Together, these clients are at any time undertaking very substantial projects related to infrastructure investment and we are the key, or primary provider of legal services.
Recent examples of the work of the Resource Management Team include representing:
- Watercare on its proposal to use biosolids to remediate and restore Puketutu Island in the Manukau Harbour.
- Biomarine in securing the environmental approvals for New Zealand's largest oyster marine farm.
- Genesis Energy in successfully opposing appeal proceedings against regulatory decisions declining access to significant water resources (which would have threatened the operation of New Zealand's largest power station).
- Dow Chemicals in relation to the reconsenting of one of New Zealand's largest hazardous waste containment facilities in New Plymouth.
- Westfield in its successful negotiations with Transit New Zealand about the proposed $150m replacement Newmarket Viaduct section of State Highway 1 and Westfield's proposed $200m retail development.
- Auckland International Airport on environmental issues arising from the construction of its second runway and associated facilities.
Specialists
Partners
Associates
