On 16 December 2021, the panel convener appointed the panel to decide the application. The panel consists of:

Vanessa Hamm (Chair)

Vanessa Hamm will chair the panel for the Kōpū Marine Precinct application.

Vanessa Hamm is a partner at Holland Beckett Law in Tauranga. She has practiced as a specialist resource management and local government lawyer for 25 years. Vanessa has represented clients as counsel on resource management matters at Council hearings and in the Environment Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal.

Before joining Holland Beckett Law in 2004, Vanessa worked for Preston Russell in Invercargill, Simpson Grierson in Wellington, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London.

Vanessa is a member of the Resource Management Law Association of New Zealand, and a member of the NZLS Law Reform – Environmental Law Committee. She holds the Making Good Decisions certificate with a chair endorsement.

Paul Cooney (Member)

Paul Cooney has practiced as a resource management and local government lawyer for over 35 years. During that time Paul has represented many clients and local authorities before the Environment Court and High Court on a wide range of legal, planning and environmental issues. Paul is now practicing solely as a planning commissioner, having received numerous appointments as a planning commissioner on a variety of consent applications and plan changes over a number of years. 

In 2019 Paul was recognised by the Resource Management Law Association for his significant contribution to resource management both regionally and nationally. 

Cathy Katene (Member)

Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Maru

Cathy is CEO of Ariari Whānau Trust, operating a 4-star Qualmark accommodation facility for the past 11 years in Eastern Taranaki. She is an environmental practitioner with a background in environmental management. As an independent commissioner, she supports whānau, hapū with a specific focus on cultural impacts, mātauranga māori through monitoring of the awa, ngāhere, and moana, using a collaborative approach in her consultancy.

Cathy has an active role as Mana Taiao Lead of Ōkahū Inuāwai (me ētēhi atū) Hapū, she is a Wai Māori Advisory member, a member in the Te Kahui Taiao Turoa (National Māori Conservation Committee) and a Whānau and Hapū Activator for Save the Kiwi and Chairperson of the Taranaki Kiwi Trust.

Cathy has experience in grassroots consulting and research, project management and wānanga. Cathy also has experience in risk-focused māori concepts, covering resource management, economic development, sustainability, health and wellbeing. She has represented whānau and hapū in resource management matters with district and regional councils and the Environment Court.

Register of interests

The register records all relevant panel member's interests and is updated when necessary throughout the consenting process. 

View the register of interests, updated on 25 January 2022 (PDF, 96KB)