Infrastructure and Funding in New Zealand: The Current Legal Landscape
Whether you work in resource management, local government, council or the public sector, this two hour programme will ensure you’re updated on the latest legal and funding issues you need to have on your radar. Take a look at the proposed reforms including the Strategic Planning Act, consider alternative funding streams and discuss practices and pitfalls for direct referral, call-in and fast track procedures and the implications of these on decision making. WEB219NZA01
Description
Attend and earn 2 CPD hours
Chair: Bal Matheson, Barrister, Richmond Chambers
9.00am to 9.05am Opening Comments by the Chair
9.05am to 9.40am Infrastructure and Urban Development in New Zealand: The Programme for Reform
- The infrastructure problematic – historic poor linkages between plan enabled intensification and funding and delivering supporting infrastructure
- Shifts in the current system to address the integration of land use and infrastructure, including the Urban Development Act and the National Policy Statement – Urban Development
- Recent infrastructure funding initiatives
- The programme for reform – including the role of the proposed Strategic Planning Act and spatial planning in promoting better integration of land use and infrastructure
Presented by David Ison, Manager – National Infrastructure Strategy, Urban Planning and Design and Dr Claire Kirman, Special Counsel – Urban Development, Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities
9.40am to 10.25am Infrastructure Funding and Financing
- Overview of local authority financing pressures
- Alternative funding streams under the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act 2020
- Opportunities for further funding & financing reform
Presented by Josh Cairns, Partner, Simpson Grierson
10.25am to 11.10am Direct Referral, Proposals of National Significance and Fast Track Procedures: Practice and Pitfalls
A comparison between the practices and pitfalls for direct referral, call-in (proposals of national significance) and fast track procedures, and the implications of these pathways for the future of first-instance council-level decision making in the context of comprehensive RMA reform
Presented by Jennifer Caldwell, Partner, Buddle Findlay
11.10am to 11.15am Final Q+A and Closing Comments
Learning Objectives:
- Stay up to date on the latest infrastructure and urban development reforms
- Receive an overview of infrastructure funding and consider opportunities for further financing reform
- Consider the practices and pitfalls for direct referral, call-in and fast track procedures and discuss the implications for council-level decision making
Presenters
Bal Matheson, Barrister, Richmond Chambers
Bal Matheson has specialized in environmental, resource management and local government law since 1998, with a particular focus on urban development projects, water, the rural sector, infrastructure projects (gas, electricity, waste, and water). He started his career at Russell McVeagh and remained there until joining the independent bar in December 2016. Bal has advised on many complex development and urban redevelopment projects, and is currently assisting KāingaOra – Homes and Communities with a number of plan change processes throughout New Zealand. He is a co-author of the Water chapter, and author of the Air chapter in New Zealand’s leading text Environmental and Resource Management Law.
Dr Claire Kirman, Special Counsel – Urban Development, Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities
Dr Claire Kirman joined Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities in early 2020 as Special Counsel – Urban Development in the legal team and advises on all aspects of resource management law. Claire embarked on a career as a resource management practitioner in 1999, working at Bell Gully, Russell McVeagh, and more recently at Ellis Gould (the last 9 years as a partner of that firm). Over the past 15 years she has represented Housing New Zealand Corporation, the Minister for the Environment and the Minister of Education, along with private developers, on plan-making, resource consent and designation hearings at Council, Environment Court and Higher Courts levels. Claire is on the editorial committee for the Resource Management Law Journal and for the last 17 years has co-authored (with Justice Whata) the chapter on environmental litigation and dispute resolution in the textbook “Environmental and Resource Management Law”.
Josh Cairns, Partner, Simpson Grierson
Josh is a finance and projects lawyer with specialist expertise in the funding and financing of infrastructure. He acts for companies, local authorities and government agencies on all types of infrastructure-related engagements. Josh’s recent work includes leading the team advising the Crown on the design and implementation of the Infrastructure Levy Model (enabled through the passing of the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act 2020), and advising the Crown and major local authorities as shareholders of the Local Government Funding Agency in connection with the restructuring of its debt programme to facilitate access to council-controlled organisations.
Jennifer Caldwell, Partner, Buddle Findlay
Jennifer specialises in resource management, environmental and local government law, with extensive experience as a strategic adviser and specialist litigator in the Environment Court, High Court and higher courts. She is a leading New Zealand lawyer advising on consent and designation projects and strategic planning processes. In October 2017, Jennifer was instrumental in Buddle Findlay’s appointment to the Supporting Growth Alliance, a five year programme of route protection for transport infrastructure to support Auckland’s growth over the next three decades. Jennifer’s experience as Alliance Manager on the East West Link project in Auckland and Legal Director with ALDAR Properties PJSC gives her unique insights into the efficient and effective provision of legal services to complex clients.
David Ison
David Ison is a Land Surveyor by training with over 30 years experience in urban development. David joined Hobsonville Land Company at its inception in 2006 and lead the development planning and infrastructure planning and delivery for the first 10 years of the Hobsonville Point project. More recently he lead the infrastructure planning for the early phases of the Kāinga Ora large scale projects in Auckland and Eastern Porirua. He has been instrumental in the planning and development of New Zealand’s largest greenfield and brownfield urban development projects.