Environment Judges

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Chief Environment Court Judge D A Kirkpatrick

Judge Kirkpatrick had, prior to his appointment to the Court in February 2014, been a Barrister sole since July 2004. He specialised in administrative and public law generally, and resource management law in particular. He appeared regularly before consent authorities, the Environment Court, and the High Court. He also appeared before the Court of Appeal, the Privy Council, and the Supreme Court.

From 1994 to 2004 Judge Kirkpatrick was a partner in the Local Government and Environment practice area of Simpson Grierson. In that role he was the primary legal advisor to a number of local authorities in the Auckland region in regard to public administration, the regulation of public utilities and resource management. He has also acted for a wide range of corporate clients, incorporated societies and individuals in those fields. In 2008-09 he acted as counsel assisting the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance.

He has presented numerous conference and seminar papers relating to resource management and local government law and is a contributing author of the chapter ‘Land Use and Subdivision – Resource Consent Procedures, Designations and Appeals’ in Environmental and Resource Management Law, now in its fourth edition.

Appointed Head of the New Zealand Environment Court on 8 July 2020.

Alternate Environment Judge L J 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 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.

Alternate Environment Judge B P Dwyer

Judge Brian Dwyer was appointed to the Environment Court on 1 September 2006.

Judge Dwyer was admitted to the Bar in 1973 and is based in the Wellington Registry of the Environment Court. Before his appointment, he was the Marlborough District Law Society's President from 1990 to 1991. He also served on the Marlborough Health Trust, St Mary's School Board of Trustees and the Marlborough Rugby Football Union Executive. As counsel to the Marlborough District Council since 1992, his work involved him in all aspects of resource management practice. He has also been an independent hearings commissioner for local authorities in Kaikoura, Nelson and Marlborough.

Environment Judge J A Smith

Judge Jeff Smith was appointed to the Environment Court in July 2000. He is based in Auckland. He was born in Rotorua and completed his education at Kamo High School, Whangarei. He holds an LLB from Auckland University, obtained in 1981, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators London (associate from 1986) and a Foundation Associate of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand. He practiced in Tauranga from 1981, first with Sharp Tudhope, and from 1995 until his appointment in 2000 as a Barrister sole.

He is a very keen piano player and has played professionally and semi-professionally since his youth. The two main bands he has played with were Jazz-A-Plenty, a Dixieland Jazz Band, and a Christian Gospel Band, Crosstalk.

Environment Judge J J M Hassan

Prior to his appointment in 2013, Judge Hassan was a partner in Chapman Tripp specialising in resource management and environmental law. He was previously in-house solicitor for the Ministry of Works and Development (1985-88) and the Ministry for the Environment (1988-91), where he was principal legal adviser during the development of the Resource Management Act (RMA). In 2009 he was appointed as a panel member by the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to audit and advise on the drafting of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2009 and he was a reference group member advising the Environment Minister on RMA reform proposals in 2011.

As well as law reform, he has represented government agencies, industry, local government and community groups before councils, the Environment Court, Boards of Inquiry and the High Court in relation to major infrastructure works, plan changes and consent and appeal hearings. He is the founding co-author of Brookers Resource Management.

Environment Judge M J L Dickey

Admitted as a barrister and solicitor in March 1983, Judge Dickey was a partner at Brookfields Lawyers from 1996 and was a member of the firm’s Board.

In practice (until her appointment) Judge Dickey specialised in all aspects of resource management and environmental law, including extensive experience in advising on infrastructure projects and planning instruments for a number of local authorities.

She acted for Auckland Council providing advice and attending hearings in relation to the Auckland Unitary Plan from 2013.

Environment Judge P A Steven KC

Judge Prudence Steven KC was sworn in as an Environment Judge and District Court Judge on 15 February 2021. Prior to appointment, her practice focused on resource management and local government/public law, including advising on irrigation proposals, water quality and quantity issues, hydroelectricity, mining, landscape and biodiversity issues, adventure tourism, coastal marine activities, retail, commercial and residential greenfield developments, heritage, forestry and infrastructure projects and appearing at all levels of the courts.

Judge Steven was appointed the in-house legal counsel for the Christchurch City Council early in her career. She was a founding partner of the firm Goodman Steven Tavendale Reid in 2001 before becoming a barrister sole in Canterbury Chambers in 2008. She was made a Queen’s Counsel in 2014.

Environment Judge L J Semple

Judge Lauren Semple was appointed to the Court in March 2023 after 30 years in private practice.  As a partner in both the Anderson Lloyd and Greenwood Roche resource management teams, Judge Semple specialised in all aspects of resource management including the consenting of large-scale urban development and infrastructure projects. 

Judge Semple was heavily involved in the rebuild of Christchurch after the 2010/2011 earthquakes acting for both the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), Regenerate Christchurch and Otakaro Limited as well as working with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and MBIE in the rebuild of essential infrastructure. 

Prior to her appointment Judge Semple was active in the use and development of alternative consenting pathways and was involved in a number of RMA reform working groups.  She was also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the National Planning Framework.  Judge Semple is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and has had an extensive and varied governance career including a number of Crown appointments.   

Environment Judge S M Tepania

Judge Sheena Tepania (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāpuhi) commenced private practice at Walters Williams & Co after she was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1999.  She continued to practice at Tamatekapua Law both before and after a brief period in local government in London and went on to practice as a barrister sole. Her practice focused on resource management, te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori land law.

Prior to her appointment, Judge Tepania was an independent hearings commissioner (from 2011) holding Ministerial appointments for matters of national importance and chairing hearings for local and regional councils. She specialised in decision-making on cases involving complex resource management issues often including kaupapa Māori and competing views and interests between developers, communities, whānau, hapū and iwi.

Judge Tepania was appointed to the Court as an Environment Judge and District Court Judge in March 2023. 

Environment Judge K G Reid

Judge Reid was appointed to the Environment Court in January 2024. He was admitted in 1993 and prior to his appointment had practiced as a barrister in Christchurch since 2011.

While in practice Judge Reid specialised in civil and criminal litigation focused on resource management and natural resources. Judge Reid has extensive experience dealing with issues concerning primary industry and the rural environment including regional and district planning, water quantity and quality, ecology, landscape, economics, land development, and tenure issues.  Judge Reid also specialised regulatory enforcement. He has acted on numerous criminal matters for prosecution and defence.

Judge Reid represented the Christchurch City Council during the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission. He has an interest in resource management law reform. In 2010 he was appointed to the government's Technical Advisory Group (TAG) providing advice to the Minister for the Environment on reform of the RMA in the infrastructure area. Just prior to his appointment Judge Reid acted as amicus curia to the High Court in Glenpanel Developments Limited v Expert Consenting Panel [2023] NZHC 2069 the leading case dealing with fast-track consenting under the Covid 19 (Fast Track Consenting) Act 2020.

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