Water Law and Wastewater Forum
Are you across the latest water law developments in Aotearoa right now? This half day seminar brings you the Chief Freshwater Commissioner’s overview of the Freshwater Planning process under the RMA, alongside a timely update on wetlands issues, an exploration of the Three Waters reform and an analysis of Te Mana o Te Wai Implementation. Explore Māori water rights and leave with a consolidated understanding of all the pressing concerns in the water sector. WEB232NZA04Z
Description
Attend and earn 4 CPD Hours
Chair: Natasha Garvan, Partner, Bell Gully; Chair of the Auckland Committee of the Resource Management Law Association
9.00am to 10.00am Update from the Commissioner
Dissect the Freshwater Planning Process under the RMA
Presented by Judge Laurie Newhook, Chief Freshwater Commissioner
10.00am to 11.00am Wetland Woes: Clear as Mud on the Wetland Issue
- Overview of the issues
- Implications for development, quarries, and farming
- Where to next and what do we need out of a national direction?
Presented by Nicole Buxeda, Senior Solicitor, Louise Ford, Senior Solicitor, Atkins Holm Majurey
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Break
11.15am to 12.15pm Three Waters Review Reform: An Update
- System reform and the 4 new water services entities
- Operational challenges
- Outcomes from the local government discussion paper
- Intersection with the RMA reforms: Implications of the NBA for three waters
Presented by Kristen Gunnell, Senior Associate, Russell McVeagh
12.15pm to 1.15pm Te Mana o Te Wai Implementation
- Wai 2358: Māori rights & interests in Geothermal and Freshwater
- Māori and Marine Energy
Presented by Millan Ruka, Member, Kāhui Wai Māori – Māori Freshwater Forum; Founder of Environment River Patrol Aotearoa
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the Freshwater planning process under the RMA
- Analyse the implications of wetlands issues and the future of these landscapes
- Receive an update on the three waters reform and its operational challenges
- Examine Te Mana o Te Wai implementation and the advancements in Māori water rights
Presenters
Natasha Garvan
Bell Gully partner Natasha Garvan is an environmental and resource management law specialist. Natasha provides environmental, policy, and resource management advice to infrastructure providers, public bodies, iwi, property and land developers, businesses, and community interest groups. Natasha has in-depth knowledge of freshwater management and related reforms. She is experienced in interpreting and applying the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 to various projects and policy contexts. Natasha was a member of the Governance and Limits Working Group for the second report of the Land and Water Forum. She assisted the NZ Landcare Trust as co-author of the publication “Community-owned Rural Catchment Management: A guide for partners" and is a co-founder of 3F (Food, Farms, and Freshwater) - created to provide a pathway to enhancing the environment in a way that adds value to the New Zealand economy.
Judge Laurie Newhook
Judge Laurie Newhook retired as Chief Environment Court Judge in July 2020, having headed the New Zealand Environment Court from August 2011 and been a Judge of the Court from 2001. Prior to that he was counsel and had over thirty years of advocacy experience to that point, with particular emphasis on environmental matters, land, property, and maritime laws. He graduated LIB (Hons) from Auckland University in 1972. Judge Newhook was appointed by the Minister for the Environment to be Convenor of Expert Panels under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020, for the 3-year life of the Act. On 7 January 2022, he was appointed by the Minister for the Environment to be Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the freshwater planning processes under the Resource Management Act. Judge Newhook has presented at many national and international conferences on the themes of environmental adjudication and the use of technology in adjudicative settings and has written multiple papers on the subjects. Judge Newhook has hosted international delegations to his Court from many parts of the World; chaired and presented at the ‘International Forum for Environment Judges’, Oslo, Norway, June 2016; and Auckland, April 2017, and chaired and addressed plenary sessions at IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquia and other international conferences.
Nicole Buxeda
Nicole has been at AHM since 2016 with a year-long gap for travelling. She has been involved in numerous complex issues for local authorities and for private sector clients. In addition to resource management and other environmental issues Nicole is experienced in matters concerning local government and policy, particularly as they apply to the primary sector. Nicole is currently on maternity leave however has enjoyed staying informed of recent developments in the water space and wider case law developments.
Louise Ford
Louise has been at AHM since 2019 and has developed a particular expertise in plan and plan change processes including the litigation that is associated with those processes, at national and regional levels. Louise’s knowledge has been grounded in the primary sector with much of that work being for Horticulture New Zealand, a background in the primary sector and an earth science degree.
Millan Ruka
Millan decided late in life in 2010 to dedicate himself to cleaning up the polluted waterways of Northland Tai Tokerau where he comes from. His journey has been to walk, paddle, and motor boat the rivers and streams of Northland and report any environmental issues that cause a detrimental effect to water quality. Dairy effluent discharge to waterways and unfenced cattle on river and stream banks were a focus. Hundreds of ERP assessment reports were sent to local authorities with GPS photo evidence, mapping and RMA detail that pushed the local councils to act on breached “best practice” to the NZ Resource Management Act. Millan’s work has expanded to RMA consent work and working to secure Māori Rights and Interests to Water for Treaty of Waitangi negotiations. To date he has provided 1,222 reports that have a direction towards protecting water in one way or another. Millan was nominated to sit on the Kahui Wai Māori (KWM) team to work with Ministry for Environment of the new RMA water reforms legislation. From this the KWM developed the Te Mana o te Wai document that is a framework for the te ao Māori world view on stewardship of Aotearoa NZ waterways. He is also inventor of a Marine Energy Turbine and is focused to deploy a prototype this year 2023. In 2018 Millan was appointed a member of the “New Zealand Order of Merit” for services to conservation.