I am an environmental lawyer, with experience in a wide range of environmental matters, including energy law, climate change and water law.
I have a LLM in Energy & Environment Law from a Belgian University, worked for 3 years in the wind industry in Spain and researched and published EU Environmental Law at a Danish University. I joined Saunders & Co in October 2022 as a Senior Lawyer.
Environmental law is important because the state of the environment and the natural resources at our disposal largely determines the wealth and well-being of a nation. Though I have experience with how environmental law works on a global scale, I appreciate the detailed, specialised needs of clients and of their particular project. Having worked for large corporations, I understand the need for timely and strategically sound advice. I was raised on a dairy farm in the Waikato, so I understand the reality of farming and the hard work and dedication it requires.
Aside from that, I am fluent in Spanish and Dutch, enjoy art & culture, DIY projects and hiking.
Examples of my recent work include:
- Helping a gravel extractor to navigate multiple issues raised by regional council and local iwi about the renewal of their gravel extraction consent.
- Representing several gravel extractors before regional council in relation to a Local Government Act document which had important implications for future resource consent applications.
- Representing and advising a Māori Trust in relation to a rezoning submission on a district plan review, with the objective to recognise Treaty rights and existing use rights in a flood risk area.
- Obtaining a certificate of compliance for a plantation forestry company to enable them to continue their operations across multiple forests, despite the introduction of new, more restrictive planning rules.
- Advising on the establishment of a solar farm through resource consent and Fast-Track process.
- Obtaining emergency power directions from regional and district council to decommission a dangerous dam.
- Helping a plantation forestry company navigate an afforestation consent process, addressing issues regarding water yield with the assistance of experts in hydrology and fresh water ecology.