The Bay of Plenty RMLA Branch is pleased to present the BOP “Council Hotseat 2025” event.

We’ll be joined by senior representatives from Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, each offering their take on the hot topics and current issues in the consenting and planning space across the region.

With ongoing RMA reform, fast-track consenting in the spotlight, and the usual mix of plan changes, compliance issues, and consent processing, there’s plenty to unpack.  Expect updates on trends in consenting, council approaches to common issues, and what’s top of mind for each council right now.

This is a great opportunity to hear directly from the councils, ask questions, and discuss how we, as practitioners, can do our bit to keep the planning wheels turning.

We are encouraging full and frank discussion and questions so will be employing Chatham House rules, which also means we will not be streaming or recording the event.

Cost: Member ticket $25.00, Standard ticket $35.00 (drinks and nibbles provided)

RSVP: by Wednesday 28 May 2025

Kick off your evening with Young RMLA Wellington!

Whether you’re just getting started or building your career in resource management, join us for a relaxed networking event on Wednesday, 7 May 2025. It’s a great chance to connect with other emerging RMA professionals from across the Wellington region.

Enjoy some casual chats, meet new faces, and wind down with nibbles and drinks, generously provided by Simpson Grierson.

This event is free and open to both RMLA members and non-members — so feel free to bring a friend or colleague.

👉 RSVP below to secure your spot. Don’t forget to let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

We’d love to see you there!

Get Ready for the 2025 Young RMLA Mooting Competition

Off the back of last year’s highly successful moot, the RMLA is calling for resource management lawyers in their first five years of practice to compete in our annual Young RMLA mooting competition. This is an opportunity for young lawyers to get “real world” experience arguing in a court setting about matters that they may come across in practice as resource management lawyers.    

The competition will be open to eight teams of two from across the motu (limited to one team per firm) and will involve three rounds of competition. Teams can be made up of lawyers from different firms.  The first and second rounds will be hosted in person or online (subject to competitors’ locations). The final will be in Blenheim as part of the RMLA conference. A special thank you to sponsor, Wynn Williams for contributing $500 to help each finalist with their travel expenses. All rounds will also be livestreamed with the final having a live audience in attendance.

What do you need to know?

Next steps

Please register your interest before midday 4 April 2025.

• Name and contact details

• Date of admission

• Employer name

• Work location

We will be reviewing all expressions of interest the week commencing 7 April and will be in touch with you shortly thereafter. 

Photos: 2024 mooting competition winners Alexander Sinclair and Olivia Sinnema of Cooper Rapley Lawyers with Judge Kirkpatrick and Janette Campbell at the Environment Court Auckland.

Thank you to Wynn Williams for making this competition possible.

The Nelson/Marlborough branch of the RMLA invite you to join them for drinks and nibbles at the Free House Pub followed by a viewing of the Big Bike Film Night, the best cycling short files from around the world, showing at the Suter.

Drinks start from 5pm with the movie commencing at 7pm. If attending the movie, the cost is as per below but RMLA will be shouting drinks and nibbles at the Free House Pub beforehand.

• Adults $24 

• Under 17-year-olds $18.50, and

• Under 12-year-olds $13.50.

Please RSVP directly to Matt Pemberton below asap and before Friday 21 March if you would like a ticket. (20 tickets pre-purchased, FIFS).

Feel free to share this invite with friends and colleagues that might be interested in coming along to this exciting film fest!

Big Changes Ahead: Are You Ready for RMA Reform? Wellingtonians are invited to join us for an insightful discussion as these experts unpack the implications of the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill. Our panel brings together seasoned professionals with deep expertise in resource management planning, consenting, and policy development.

Meet the Panellists

Lindsay Daysh - Lindsay is the Director of Incite Wellington and has over 35 years’ experience in all aspects of resource management planning particularly strategic and RMA planning for the infrastructure sector. He has been involved in multi-disciplinary projects and has strong and wide-ranging general planning experience in policy development. As an experienced independent hearing commissioner with chair accreditation, Lindsay also has extensive experience on a range of consent applications and plan matters. He is also a presenter of the Making Good Decisions programme.

Stewart McKenzie – Stewart is principal of McKenzie Planning Partnerships and is a professionally accredited planner with 25-years’ experience in a vast range of planning and related fields. His skills and expertise extend across RMA, transport, infrastructure, energy and three waters planning and policy development, environmental assessment, property development, urban planning, people leadership and programme management and delivery. Before establishing his planning practice, he led the policy planning team at Porirua City Council in the successful development of a new district plan. Most recently he has been supporting the Wellington and Palmerston North City Councils with their district plan processes, along with private sector clients with major urban development projects.

Michelle Conland – Michelle is a Lead Consenting Advisor at Greater Wellington Regional Council, with approximately 25 years’ experience working for and with various regional, city and district councils in resource management consenting and policy, with a particular focus on regional resource planning. She has been an expert planning witness for various resource consent and regional plan hearings, including the recent ‘Plimmerton Farms’ application processed by the EPA under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020, and RiverLink which was directly referred to the Environment Court.

The event will be held at Bell Gully Wellington (Bell Gully Building, Level 4, 40 Lady Elizabeth Lane) and includes a panel discussion along with drinks and nibbles.

All welcome. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at $30 for RMLA members and $40 for non-members. CPD available: 1 hour.

Here's to 2025!

RMLA and NZPI together invite you to attend welcome back drinks to celebrate the start of an exciting 2025.

Let's come together for an evening of great company, networking, and a chance to catch up with colleagues and friends. This is the perfect opportunity to kick off the year on a high note. Mark your calendars and don't miss out on what promises to be a delightful evening!

Tickets cost $20 per person, which will be put towards a bar tab (along with a contribution from RMLA/NZPI) and some nibbles. Event only open to RMLA/NZPI members.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

It’s that time of the year again. Please join us to for drinks, nibbles and lawn bowls to celebrate to end of 2024!

This is a joint event with our friends from NZPI, NZILA and UDF.

We hope to see you there.

It’s that time of year of again, so come and join us for drinks and nibbles in celebration of the end of 2024! This is a joint RMLA and NZPI event.

Please RSVP for catering purposes.

We look forward to celebrating with you soon.

In conjunction with NZPI, RMLA are pleased to extend an invitation to its members for a special occasion in honour of Judge Brian Dwyer, who is shortly retiring after a distinguished career of service to the judiciary.

To mark this important milestone and to celebrate Judge Dwyer’s numerous contributions to the Environment Court and the legal profession, a Judicial Retirement Celebration is being held. 

We would be delighted to have you join us for this special event. Your presence would contribute to making this occasion a fitting tribute to Judge Dwyer’s dedication and achievements.

For catering purposes, we kindly request that you RSVP by 5 November.

We look forward to sharing this momentous evening with you.

RMLA Canterbury-Westland are again holding a Council Round-up for 2024. 

Representatives from Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council, Waimakariri District Council, Ashburton District Council and Hurunui District Council will appear to speak with members.

As always, with all that goes on in the region and has been going on in Wellington, there’s bound to be something of interest to all members.  From the latest tranche of RMA reforms, to the latest on intensification implementation, plan changes and plan reviews.  Not to mention updates on approaches to interpretation and consenting.  Each council representative will, again, be able to enlighten attendees on their cause(s) de’ jour and matters of interest, and how we, as professionals can do our bit to keep the planning wheels turning. 

As in previous years we’re encouraging full and frank discussion and questions by employing Chatham House rules, which also means we will not be streaming or recording the event.

Drinks & Nibbles provided.

NB: For the purpose of receiving a CPD point, please keep a copy of your registration / order confirmation.

See you at the 2024 Round-up!

Ngā mihi | Kind regards,
On behalf of the Canterbury-Westland Branch Committee

Please join us to hear about recent significant cases and discuss their impact on regional planning issues. Session led by Chris Thomsen, partner at Fletcher Vautier Moore.

Registrations open to all.

Drinks & nibbles provided.

RMLA and NZPI invite you to join this Speed Networking Event  

•        Do you want to meet other people working in planning or the resource management field and swap stories?

•        Does watching Netflix on a Thursday night no longer light your fire?

•        Do you just really want to talk with someone who understands the resource management issues influencing ourselves as professionals and our communities?

If so, come along to our speed networking event.  This is jointly run by the Wellington committees of the New Zealand Planning Institute and Resource Management Law Association as a social event for professionals to meet new people and make new connections.  If you’re a planner, lawyer, engineer, architect, environmental consultant (or similar professions) then feel free to come along.  The previous times we’ve run this event it’s been relaxed and fun, and we’re expecting more of the same.

Please come along and meet some new people.

Ticket price: $20 to cover drinks and food on the night.

Please bring: An interesting fact about yourself, a smile, and a topic to discuss.