SPS has been involved in a wide range of projects including:

Independent Commissioner Roles

Some of the commissioner roles Gina has undertaken include:

  • The Environment Canterbury Regional Policy Statement

  • Streamlined planning process to change the urban growth boundary in the Bay of Plenty Regional Policy Statement

  • Plan Change 10 to the Bay of Plenty Regional Plan - Lake Rotorua

  • s128 review of conditions for the Te Rere Hau Windfarm

  • New commercial windfarm in Waverley

  • Replacement consents for the Omaha and Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plants

  • New quarry in Otaki, Kapiti

  • Joint regional and district council consent for a new residential development, Whitby, Porirua

  • Resource consent under the Special Housing and Housing Accords Act

  • Reconsenting of a wastewater treatment plant, Featherston

Maori Planning Issues

Some of the work Gina has undertaken includes:

  • Ongoing policy advice to Te Puni Kokiri

  • Development and facilitation of a two-day workshop “Understanding Te Ao Māori” for Local Government New Zealand

  • Development and delivery of “Planning for Māori Values” training for NZPI

  • Development and delivery of training to Ngai Tahu runanga on “How to make effective RMA submissions

  • Policy input into Foreshore and Seabed negotiations

  • Policy input into the Waikato River negotiations, settlement and implementation

  • Establishment of the Guardians Establishment Committee for the Waikato River and its secretariat and ongoing liaison through the development of the Vision and Strategy

Policy

Some of the work Gina has undertaken includes:

Local Government

  • Scoping, research, consultation on and development of plan changes

  • Development Contributions Policy Review and Development

  • Plan Review Technical Advice, Training and Integration, for several councils, including Porirua City, Waitaki District, Timaru District, Nelson City, Far North District and Otago Regional Councils

  • Expert witness at the Environment Court for private plan changes and Plan reviews

  • Technical input into and review of SNA, landscapes and features, residential reviews; Hutt City Council

  • Overa ll Plan integration, and chapter lead, Infrastructure, Services and Resources and Financial Contributions, Kapiti Coast District Council

Central Government

  • National environmental standards on contaminated land, air quality, drinking water

  • Direct involvement in Resource Management Act Amendments 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2017

  • Manager responsible for the RMA Amendment 2009

  • National policy statements on Freshewater and Renewable Electricity Generation

  • Author of “Public Access under Section 6(d) of the RMA” for the Walking Access Commission 2012 (updated in 2013 and 2015)

  • Draft national policy statements

      Other planning related legislation such as:

  • Marine Protected Areas

  • Exclusive Economic Zone Legislation and Regulations

  • Local government reforms

  • Marine and Coastal Areas Act

Consent Processing

  • Processing of many complex resource consent applications (such as contaminated site redevelopment, multi-million mixed use developments, major subdivisions)

  • Peer review and auditing of consents

  • Expert witness at the Environment Court.

Best practice, training, guidance and advice

Some of the work Gina has undertaken includes:       

  • Development and delivery of plan drafting, development and review training for NZPI (three different modules)

  • Councillor training on the RMA and Development Contributions

  • Developing guidance and delivering training for RMA practitioners, the public and business

  • Drafting, editing and peer reviewing guidance notes for the Quality Planning website

  • Developing guidance and delivering training on the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and the Aquaculture Act 2004

  • Developing, delivering and facilitating training workshops for RMA practitioners, the public and stakeholder organisations

  • "Forensic" analysis on complex consents that have "gone wrong"

  • Targeted assistance

  • Consent processing reviews

Project Management and Management

  • Project management for the five councils involved in implementation Transmission Gully notice of requirement and resource consents

  • Project managed the development of a Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River, in accordance with the Agreement-in-Principle between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui

  • Project Manager for the proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management

  • P roject Manager for the Sustainable Water Programme of Action

  • Manager of the RMA Practice team at the Ministry for the Environment, responsible for the 2009 RMA amendment