On 12 May 2025, the panel convener appointed the expert panel. The panel consist of:
Helen Atkins (Chair)
Helen Atkins has been an experienced environmental, public law and local government lawyer for many years. She has been an accredited commissioner (with the chair endorsement) under the Making Good Decisions Programme administered by the Ministry for the Environment for over ten years. In that capacity Helen has chaired many high-profile cases.
Under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020, Helen was appointed to chair an expert panel on a mixed-use consent application. Helen has worked in both the public and private sectors throughout those years and has been involved in many large projects involving plan changes, resource consenting and notices of requirement.
Helen is an associate member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and runs workshops and webinars for them. She is also a member of the Resource Management Law Association and served on the Executive of the National Committee for a number of years. She is a regular contributor to the Water New Zealand Journal, Water.
In addition to her advisory and legal work, Helen has also served on many governance boards in both the private and public sectors, including as chair.
Lisa Mein (member)
Lisa is a qualified Urban Designer and Planner with over 29 years’ experience in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2019, following 15 years’ at Boffa Miskell Ltd, she established her own boutique urban design and planning practice. She is a founding member and inaugural chair of the Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa, a professional registration body to recognise qualified and experienced urban designers.
Lisa is a certified Resource Management Hearings Commissioner. She was first accredited in 2016 and has maintained certification since, most recently in 2024. She is a current member of both the Auckland Council and Queenstown Lakes District Council Hearings Panels.
Lisa has considerable experience in an advisory capacity for Urban Design Review Panels, including as a regular Chair on the Auckland Urban Design Panel, the Auckland Housing Programme Design Review Panel and the Tāmaki Design Review Panel, most recently she has been appointed to Eke Panuku TAG. In addition, she regularly provides advice to Auckland Council and other clients on urban design matters for development proposals, often presenting urban design evidence at Council hearings and to the Environment Court.
Nigel Mark-Brown (member)
Nigel Mark-Brown is a civil/environmental engineer. Mr. Mark-Brown has over 45 years’ experience in the areas of: environmental and civil engineering; coastal inundation; stormwater discharges; wastewater discharges; flood protection; river diversion; landfills; quarries; site remediation and general planning matters. He has wide ranging civil and three waters engineering expertise and has sat on a large number of consent hearings for Auckland Council and other councils throughout New Zealand. He has also been a member of a Board of Enquiry panel and provided expert reports on stormwater and flooding matters for Fast Track consent applications.
Mr. Mark-Brown is a member of Engineering NZ, International Professional Engineers Register (NZ), a member of NZ Water and NZ Sustainability Society. He has a good understanding of Te Ao Māori and Māori development and holds the Making Good Decisions accreditation with a 30 June 2027 expiry date.
Register of interests
The register records all relevant panel members' interests, and it updated, when necessary, throughout the consenting process.