On 25 August 2021, the panel convener appointed the panel to decide the application. The panel consists of:

Heather Ash (Chair)

Heather Ash will chair the panel for the Silverlight Studios - Wanaka application.

Heather is a resource management specialist, with 25 years' experience at Simpson Grierson, recently retiring as a partner in the local government and environment team. She is currently a barrister. Heather also chaired the Panel decision on the Queenstown Arterials project under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.

Her focus is on assisting councils on the development and implementation of their district plans. She has extensive experience in providing advice in areas of strategic growth planning and infrastructure, management of natural resources, urban intensification and subdivision.

Heather is a highly experienced advocate and has regularly appeared on matters before the Environment and High Court. She had a lead role in the legal team advising the Auckland Council on the new Unitary Plan for the Auckland region. She is also very experienced at delivering successful outcomes at mediation. She is known for her client focussed style of working. She was a member of the New Zealand Council of Legal Education until 2019.

Jan Caunter (member)

Jan Caunter is a Tauranga-based barrister and solicitor with expertise in resource management and public law. Jan was previously based in both Auckland and Wanaka and was a partner in the RMA teams of two leading law firms in Auckland. Jan has been practicing law for close to 30 years. Her experience includes acting for clients on a variety of major development projects nationwide, representation in resource consent and plan change hearings, judicial review, designations and contaminated land/ hazardous substances.

Jan’s particular area of expertise is in waste management and she advises clients in this area throughout the North Island. Jan has also represented a number of  community groups opposed to development in their area. Jan is a chair endorsed, certified Independent Hearing Commissioner. Jan has chaired a number of panels making decisions on subdivision and development, private plan changes and the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act. Many of these have been in the Queenstown Lakes District and Central Otago District.

Most recently, Jan chaired a panel appointed to decide an application to develop a new town centre at Omokoroa near Tauranga and chaired the Expert Consenting Panel appointed under the Covid-19 Recovery(Fast-Track Consenting) Act 2020 to determine a fast-track application to construct and operate a foam factory in the Waikato.

Robert van Voorthuysen (member)

Rob has acted as an independent RMA hearing commissioner on over 300 occasions on regional policy statements, regional plans, district plans, notices of requirement and consent applications.

He initially trained as an engineer, specialising in water and soil and coastal management, and later gained a Masters of Public Policy.

Initially working for the former Ministry of Works, he moved into policy, planning and management roles for the Department of Conservation and the Waikato and Hawke’s Bay regional councils before commencing practice as a consultant in 1998.

Most recently, Rob was a member of the Expert Consenting Panel appointed under the Covid-19 Recovery(Fast-Track Consenting) Act 2020 to determine a fast-track application to construct the Matawaii reservoir in Northland.

Karen Coutts (member)

Karen Coutts is an independent Director. She has over 15 years governance experience in leadership and governance across Iwi/Maori organisations, NGOs and Crown appointed. She served on the board of Ngai Tahu’s governing body for the past five years and is currently on the HSNO Committee, EPA. She has a background in the implications of use of environmental resources from the viewpoint of Maori economic development and to uphold Treaty of Waitangi rights situations.  With her solid social science background, she brings a Māori perspectives lens, and Māori development and economic experience.

She had a career holding senior operational management roles in the UK and senior policy roles in government in Wellington across social and then economic development with a Māori focus. Her most recent policy role was to lead policy advice on the Māori economy at the Reserve Bank NZ. Karen holds a Master Public Policy. She affiliates to Ngāi Tahu and Te Aitanga-a-Mahāki.