On 26 March 2026, the panel convener appointed the panel. The panel consists of:
Dave Serjeant (Chair)
Dave Serjeant is an independent hearings commissioner and resource management consultant and planner with over 45 years’ experience.
Dave operates principally in the Auckland, Northland and Waikato regions where he regularly chairs and is appointed to panels for RMA-related hearings for resource consents and notices of requirements on land development, infrastructure and resource-related matters, and for full plan reviews and plan changes for local authorities.
Martin Williams
Martin has 30 years’ experience practising in Resource Management and Local Government law, as well as Public Works Act proceedings. He has advised and represented a wide range of private and public sector clients including development proponents, councils and community organisations at local authority and appeal hearings, appearing as counsel in a number of leading Environment and High Court cases, as well as in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Martin is a former President of the Resource Management Law Association of New Zealand (Inc) serving on the National Committee of that Association for nine years.
Martin was accredited as a Hearing Commissioner in 2009 under the Ministry for the Environment Making Good Decisions programme (with Chair Certification from 2020) and is currently in the process of recertifying.
Martin served as an elected member on the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council from 2019 to 2025 including appointment as Chair of the Hearings Committee. He has chaired a number of hearing panels determining complex applications for resource consent in that capacity and been appointed as a Commissioner and Panel Chair by Marlborough District Council on a range of consenting, reserve management plan and bylaw processes.
Martin also chaired an expert panel deciding resource consent applications for the Tauranga Court House redevelopment project under the COVID-19 Fast-track legislation.
Lou Wickham
Lou has a bachelor’s degree in chemical and materials engineering from the University of Auckland and a master’s degree in environmental law from the University of Sydney. Their career spans both private and public roles in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom with more than 30 years focusing on air pollution and health.
Lou has been a certified independent hearings commissioner since 2013 and has made decisions with delegated authority under the Resource Management Act for Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council on a wide variety of designation and resource consent applications.
Lou is a director at Emission Impossible Ltd in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Lou is a member of the Resource Management Law Association, the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Institute of Directors New Zealand.
Nō Whakatāne ia. Ko Pākehā te iwi. (They are from Whakatāne. They are Pākehā.)
Register of interests
The register records all relevant panel members' interests, and is updated, when necessary, throughout the consenting process.