Meet the hearings panel
View the commissioners’ listed conflicts and interests relating to the Proposed District Plan.
Independent Commissioners | |
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Robert Scott, Chairperson Robert has been a planner since 1992 and has a wide range of experience in all aspects of the resource management process. Robert is often called upon as an expert planning witness before local authorities and Environment Court hearings and has achieved certification (with merit) as a commissioner under the Ministry for the Environment's Good Decisions programme since 2008. He has worked as a commissioner since 2014 is also on the panel of independent hearing commissioners for Auckland Council, Tauranga City Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Christchurch City Council. |  |
Bill Smith, Deputy Chairperson Bill has been an Independent Hearings Commissioner since 2007, has 20 years’ experience as a local authority staff member and 7 years’ as an elected member. He has a wide range of experience in all aspects of the resource management process and has achieved certification as a commissioner (chair) under the Ministry for the Environment's Good Decisions programme. He is on the panel of independent hearing commissioners for Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara District Councils and also Auckland Council. |  |
Alan Watson Alan is a professionally qualified planner who works primarily as a hearing commissioner under the Resource Management Act 1991. He has wide experience in all aspects of the resource management process from his work as a planner and as a commissioner. In the latter role he has been engaged by some 30 councils with appointments of note including being chair of the hearing panel for various applications relating to the Waihi gold mine and the Auckland City Rail Link, being on the expert consenting panels for Covid recovery proposals and chairing the hearing of submissions to the Northland Regional Policy Statement. Alan resided in Whangarei at an earlier time where he worked as a planning consultant for the councils and for private clients in Northland. He holds the qualifications BSc and DipTP, is a Fellow of the NZ Planning Institute and has received the Institute’s Distinguished Service Award. He is qualified as a mediator and is certificated as a chair under the Ministry for the Environment’s Making Good Decisions Programme for decision-makers under the RMA, a programme for which he is also a presenter. |  |
Peter Kensington Peter is an experienced resource management practitioner, having worked professionally for over twenty-five years throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Originally from Te Papa-i-Oea, Palmerston North, Peter is a director at the Muriwai Beach based consultancy KPLC Limited. This follows earlier planning and landscape roles at the Christchurch City Council, the Wellington City Council, the Tāmaki Makaurau office of Boffa Miskell Limited and the Auckland Council. He has qualifications and expertise in planning and landscape architecture, and he is a full member of Te Kokiringa Taumata / the New Zealand Planning Institute and a registered member of Tuia Pito Ora / the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA). Peter has served as an elected member of the NZILA national executive committee, and he has judged at NZILA awards. |  |
Siani Walker Tēnā tātou. He uri tēnei nō Te Awa Tupua, arā ko Te Āti Haunui-a-Paparangi, ko Ngāti Tupoho, ko Ngāti Tamakōpiri, ko Ngāti Rangi; nō Te Tai Tokerau, arā ko Ngāpuhi / Ngāti Kahu ki Whaingaroa, Te Aupōuri, ōku iwi. Tēnei rā te mihi. Siani holds iwi advisory roles for Te Awa Tupua and is a hapū representative. Siani is a resource management and policy planner. She has extensive experience related to the integration of Māori values and consideration of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. She specialises in local government obligations for Treaty settlements, Māori cultural heritage, open space planning, and regulatory planning. She has worked as an independent commissioner on panels for Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Auckland Council and the Far North District Council. Siani is a Director Māori at Bentley & Co Ltd. |  |
Inhouse Councillors | |
Felicity Foy Te Rarawa me Ngati Kahu (Te Paatu) me Rongowhaakata Felicity has 15 years experience as a planner, having worked as a consents planner at the Far North District Council, and also has previously owned a planning consultancy. Felicity has many years is experience in resource consents, resource consent hearings, and also recent experience in a variety of hearings panels for Policy, and also a fast track application. Being from Muriwhenua in the top of the Far North, Felicity has had significant experience with many rural, coastal, papakainga, and cultural related resource consent matters. Felicity has a background in Local Government, and has formal training Bachelor Degree in Resource Management (Unitec) and Master Degree in Resource and Environmental Planning with honours (Massey University)). She has full membership to the NZ Planning Institute. She has been an elected member within a territorial authority for three terms (Far North District Council) and has experience in chairing meetings. Felicity has a rural background and owns a beef farm in Northland. She also has experience in project management, construction, and business. | 
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Hilda Halkyard-Harawira Nō Ngāti Haua ki Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri me Ngāti Whātua. | 
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Kelly Stratford Far North District Councillor, Kelly Stratford (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngati Wai), spends her days tackling pressing community issues such as infrastructure, whilst wearing heels, but always has a pair of gumboots in her car for traipsing through wastewater treatment plants, investigating roading issues or stormwater site visits. She was elected from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa ward and is currently Deputy Mayor, chairs the Te Huia Executive Review committee, the Regional Northland Emergency Management Committee and sits on all council’s other committees. Stratford is also the council representative on Taumarere River Liaison Group and the Joint Climate Adaption Committee. Kelly has been a Councillor since 2018 and commissioner since 2020. |  |
Steve McNally Steve has been involved in all things property since 1981 as a valuer, consultant/feasibility advisor to developers and a developer on his own account. He has extensive knowledge of a wide range of property types and the Resource Management regulations applying to most land use scenarios, including development of residential, commercial, industrial, lifestyle, horticultural, pastoral farming (dairy, sheep, beef, cropping) and all associated infrastructure requirements. Farming on his own account, recent environmental enhancement/protection work has included fencing wetlands/streams and bush areas off to manage soils and reduce sediment and fertiliser runoff and provide environment for native flora and fauna to flourish. |  |