On 13 August 2025, the Drury Quarry Expansion – Sutton Block expert consenting panel will commence work. The panel consists of:
Catherine Somerville-Frost (chair)
Catherine is a specialist resource management lawyer with over 25 years' experience consenting major developments and guiding clients through due diligence, compliance, policy and reform processes. With a background in top-tier national law firms, she was an environmental and resource management partner at Chapman Tripp for close to fifteen years.
Catherine has significant breadth and depth of environmental law expertise. She has assisted clients across the spectrum, including those involved in the provision of utilities infrastructure (gas, electricity, water and telecommunications) and transport infrastructure (road, rail, port and airport), major industrial, commercial and retail developments, residential community development (structure planned and retirement), mining (onshore and offshore), and electricity generation (hydro, wind, solar and geothermal).
Catherine is recognised as a leading lawyer by Chambers Asia Pacific 2023 and Chambers Global 2020.
Catherine has chaired two other expert panels for fast-track applications, the Stevensons Crescent residential development proposal under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 and the Glorit Solar Farm proposal under the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023.
Dr Graham Ussher
Graham is an ecologist who has more than 30 years experience working with government agencies and the commercial sector on projects that involve potential adverse effects on indigenous biodiversity, and which require the development of approaches to ecological effects management.
He specialises in the assessment of terrestrial and freshwater species and ecosystems, and the application of methods to avoid, mitigate, offset or compensate for the loss of biodiversity that may arise from development projects.
Graham has worked across all sectors of development in New Zealand – resource extraction, infrastructure, land development, water security, roading, and renewal energy generation - through concept design, consenting, management of physical works, wildlife salvage and relocation, ecosystem restoration, and monitoring of ecological outcomes. He regularly presents expert evidence on these matters to Hearings, Panels, and the Environment Court.
Peter Kensington
Peter is an experienced resource management practitioner with qualifications and expertise in planning and landscape architecture. Originally from Te Papa-i-Oea, Palmerston North, Peter has been based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland since 1999, working in both private practice and for local government. He is currently a director at KPLC Limited.
Peter is a certified Independent Hearing Commissioner and he is regularly appointed as a hearing panel member for Auckland Council. He is a member of the Auckland Urban Design Panel, as a representative of Tuia Pito Ora, the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects. Peter is also a duty commissioner for Auckland Council, with delegated authority to determine applications for resource consent.
He has an excellent working knowledge of the Auckland Unitary Plan from his assessment and/or consideration of various applications for development and activities in urban, rural and/or coastal environments.