Proposed District Plan hearings updates

Mark Farnsworth, Chairperson

Mark is the principal partner of Farnsworth Management Services, a Mangawhai based partnership providing; independent hearing commissioner services; specialist Resource Management Act (RMA) policy advice and RMA hearing training.   Mark is a Justice of the Peace. Mark has a Master's Degree in Geography and a forestry and farming background. He is a past National President of the New Zealand School Trustees Association and has been invested as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community.

Mark has worked with the Resource Management Act since its implementation in 1991. He has 41 years of hands-on experience of working with local government, having served as an elected councillor for 23 years (a 9 year term as the chair of the Northland Regional Council).  Mark has chaired, been a member of panels; drafted written decisions and contributed to the drafting of written decisions. Mark is heavily involved in the Making Good Decisions Programme for RMA decisions makers as a trainer, tutor and as the national assessment marker. Mark has been on the active Hearing Commissioners’ list for multiple Councils including, Auckland Council; Bay of Plenty Regional Council; Christchurch City; Gisborne District Council; Hamilton City; Hawkes Bay Regional Council; Kaipara District Council; Whangarei District Council and Waikato Regional Council. Mark was appointed to Auckland Council’s list of Independent Hearing Commissioners in 2011 for his RMA expertise and his understanding of Te Ao Māori and Mātauranga Māori. Mark has made over 500 notification decisions (including any applying s104 decisions) for Auckland Council as one of the Council’s 14 Duty Commissioners.

Mark has a long (40+ years), and close, working relationship with Te Uri O Hau, advising and mentoring them on

RMA matters. Mark currently chairs two Ahu Whenua Trusts (2F and Tapu Bush). Mark has also been actively involved in the training, and mentoring, of Māori who would like to become RMA hearing commissioners.

Mark has been involved in multiple private plan changes for Auckland Council. Three of these private plan changes (PPCs 48, 49 & 50) were for a new urban centre in South Drury (the size of Rotorua). At the same time Mark has also been contracted to the Ministry for the Environment and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to develop a mentoring programme for new hearing commissioners with a Te Ao Māori background.

Alan Watson, Deputy Chairperson

Alan is a professionally qualified planner who works primarily as a hearing commissioner under the Resource Management Act 1991.  He has wide experience in all aspects of the resource management process from his work as a planner and as a commissioner.  In the latter role he has been engaged by some 30 councils with appointments of note including being chair of the hearing panel for various applications relating to the Waihi gold mine and the Auckland City Rail Link, being on the expert consenting panels for Covid recovery proposals and chairing the hearing of submissions to the Northland Regional Policy Statement.  Alan resided in Whangarei at an earlier time where he worked as a planning consultant for the councils and for private clients in Northland.

Alan holds the qualifications BSc and DipTP, is a Fellow of the NZ Planning Institute and has received the Institute’s Distinguished Service Award. He is qualified as a mediator and is certificated as a chair under the Ministry for the Environment’s Making Good Decisions Programme for decision-makers under the RMA, a programme for which he is also a presenter.

Michael Campbell

Michael is a planner and Director of Campbell Brown. Michael has over 25 years of experience in planning and resource management and has held senior management positions in public organisations.

Michael’s broad experience covers a wide range of planning work, including district plan preparation, resource consent lodgement and assessment, notices of requirement, outline plan of works, Environment Court experience, hearings, strategic planning, structure planning, policy formulation, community engagement and public consultation. Michael has practiced in both private and public organisations. Michael has been closely involved in a number of large scale infrastructure and development projects including city wide and network consents, New Lynn Town Centre, Hobsonville Point, Tamaki redevelopment area and the Northern Strategic Growth Area.

He has held senior planning and management positions in local government, in planning fields, and has extensive knowledge of local government management, systems and processes.

Michael holds the qualification of Bachelor of Resource and Environmental Planning (Hons), and Ministry for the Environment Making Good Decisions accreditation as a commissioner. Michael is a Full Member of the New Zealand Planning Institute, and Resource Management Law Association.

Richard Blakey

Richard is a planner and director of Blakey Planning Limited. He has over 30 years’ experience involving coastal and urban planning, planning assessments, special housing areas, development planning and a wide range of other resource management matters.

Richard is a member of the NZ Planning Institute, a Chairperson for the Auckland Council Urban Design Panel, and a hearing commissioner for a number of territorial authorities around New Zealand. In particular, he has been an independent commissioner for the Auckland Council since 2014, and has sat on over 100 hearing panels relating to resource consents, plan changes and notices of requirement. He has been a member of (and advisor to) a number of Fast-track expert panels since 2021

Richard understands the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori and applies those in hearings where relevant and appropriate. He holds the Making Good Decisions accreditation with a 31 December 2026 expiry date.

Juliane Chetham

(Patuharakeke/ Ngātiwai me Ngāpuhi)

Juliane Chetham has a background in Geography and Environmental Science with over 20 years of experience in resource management planning and policy specialising in Treaty of Waitangi and Kaupapa Māori matters. She has held roles across a range of industry, government and iwi/hapū authorities. Juliane is an accredited Hearings Commissioner and has served on a variety of resource consent, plan change, Notice of Requirement, Fast Track (Covid 19 Recovery Act) hearings and Waitangi Tribunal proceedings throughout the motu.

Craig Jepson

Serves as an Elected Member for the Council. Craig holds the qualification of Ministry for the Environment Making Good Decisions accreditation as a commissioner. Craig has been a Northland Business operator for over 40 years and a former Northland Rugby Representative.

Gordon Lambeth

Serves as an Elected Member for the Council. Gordon holds the qualification of Ministry for the Environment Making Good Decisions accreditation as a commissioner. Gorden is a sixth-generation Northlander with deep roots in farming. Gordon spent 27 years with the New Zealand Police mostly in Northern Wairoa before building an architectural design practice focused on practical, client-driven solutions.

Gordon has been involved in Community projects on a volunteer basis including the Tangiteroria Complex and the Community pool project, raising over $5 million. Gordon has supported youth through DARE and Bluelight for more than two decades, promoting youth education and driver licensing. Gordon is currently on the Automobile Association, the Licensing Committee, also Vice President of the Northland Property Investors Association.