New Zealand Law Society - Environmental Law Committee
The Independent Review Panel's report is now available. More information.
The Environmental Law Committee makes submissions on proposed changes to environmental and resource management legislation. The Committee also contributes towards practice notes issued by the judiciary.
The Environmental Law Committee was established in 1996 to review and comment on new legislation affecting environmental law – and in particular the resource management legislation that created the Environment Court. The committee continues to monitor and comment on proposed reforms of environmental law.
Bronwyn Carruthers is the convenor of the Environmental Law Committee. Bronwyn is an environmental law specialist, with expertise in all aspects of resource management and environmental law, as well as public and local government law. She has been in practice since 2000, in major New Zealand law firms and more recently at the independent bar. Bronwyn also has extensive experience in resource management litigation, not only before the Environment Court but also in the higher appellate courts (including the Supreme Court).
The committee is made up of experienced environmental law practitioners:
In the past 18 months, the committee has made submissions on numerous bills, including the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Bill, Urban Development Bill, Resource Management Amendment Bill, Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Bill, and the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill.
The committee has also commented on RMA draft National Planning Standards on urban development, highly productive land, and indigenous biodiversity.