Laurie Newhook retired from the chief environment court judge role on July 7 to become convenor.
Environment Minister David Parker has announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the convenor of the expert consenting panels for fast-track consenting, after he retired as chief judge on July 7 2020.
Newhook’s appointment reflects the level of expertise needed to evaluate the projects proposed under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act passed last week. The act will support the country’s economic recovery after the impacts of the pandemic.
Newhook has been principal environment judge since 2011, is now chief environment court judge, and has been a judge of the court since 2001.
Before becoming a judge, he had over 30 years’ experience as legal counsel, with a particular emphasis on environmental matters, land, property, and maritime laws.
His three-year term will expire one year after the fast track Act self-repeals in two years’ time.
Freshwater planning
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as chief freshwater commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as deputy chief freshwater commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP) team.
The FPP was introduced by the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020 to enable regional councils and unitary authorities to make changes to their freshwater plans in a more efficient way than the current RMA schedule 1 planning process.
Regional councils and unitary authorities must use the FPP for proposed freshwater provisions in regional policy statements and plans.
Parker said: “Professor Skelton and Judge Thompson bring a wealth of experience in environmental planning processes.”
Skelton brings 22 years’ experience as a judge of the environment court and six years of teaching and examining environmental law at Lincoln University. In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of natural resources by Lincoln University. He is one of the founders of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand and was its first New Zealand vice-president. In 2007, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute.
His term as the chief freshwater commissioner is for 18 months and ends in January 2022
Thompson practised in Wellington and Blenheim from 1974 until being appointed Crown Counsel in the Crown Law Office in 1983. In 1985, he was made deputy solicitor-general for New Zealand. He was a member of the legislation advisory committee from its inception in 1986 until he was appointed as a District Court judge in 1992. He was appointed as an alternate environment court judge in 2001 and a full-time one in August 2003.
His term as freshwater commissioner is for 30 months and ends in January 2023.
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