Independent commissioner and hearing work

Acting as an independent commissioner on resource consent hearings, plan change hearings, and other statutory processes under the RMA. Tim holds Making Good Decisions Chair certification and is experienced across the full range of consent types and activity statuses, including non-complying and complex discretionary matters.

Section 42A report auditing and peer review

Quality assurance of officer reports before they are signed off and published. Tim provides structured, constructive audit feedback covering statutory reasoning, notification framework, condition drafting, and overall report quality — helping councils manage risk and lift the standard of their reporting.

Hearing facilitation and pre-hearing meetings

Facilitating section 99 pre-hearing meetings and other alternative dispute resolution processes under the RMA. Tim is experienced in managing complex multi-party hearings, narrowing issues, and helping parties reach workable agreements before formal hearings proceed.

Private client resource consenting

Advising and representing private clients through the resource consent process, from feasibility and pre-application meetings through to application preparation and hearing representation. Experience across residential, rural, coastal, subdivision, and infrastructure consenting.

Planning advice and peer review

Providing senior planning advice to councils and private clients on complex or sensitive matters, including national policy statement interpretation, permitted baseline assessment, condition drafting, and statutory process questions.

Representation reviews

Advising and supporting councils through representation reviews under the Local Electoral Act 2001, including initial proposals, submissions processes, and engagement with the Local Government Commission. Tim led the representation review for Selwyn District Council and brings direct hands-on experience of this specialist process.

Leadership facilitation

Designing and facilitating leadership development programmes for local government planning and regulatory teams. Current work includes a four-workshop series for Environment Canterbury consent team leaders.