On 6 October 2025, the panel convener appointed the expert panel. The panel consists of:
Matt Casey (chair)
Matt is one of the most senior and experienced litigators in New Zealand specializing in resource management, public and administrative law. He was a partner at Kensington Swan for 23 years and the firm’s head of litigation before joining the independent bar in 2002. He was appointed Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel in 2007.
Matt regularly appears in the Environment Court and High Court and has conducted numerous arbitrations and mediations involving land and company valuations, rental and lease disputes and building disputes, both as counsel and arbitrator/mediator. He has also conducted many environmental mediations and is an accredited hearings commissioner under the RMA, with chair certification.
Matt chairs the Disciplinary Tribunal of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
He also writes commentary on the High Court Rules for Sims Court Practice and is co-author of ‘Environmental Law in New Zealand’ (second edition 2018).
Tim Manukau (member)
Tim Manukau has significant experience in the RMA, iwi-māori planning, mātauranga māori and treaty settlement negotiations. Tim has been an independent commissioner on resource consent hearings and sat on Environment Court-ordered expert panels and decision-making panels under the Reserves Act and Local Government Act.
Tim has experience in being an applicant, involved in the development of plan changes, and as a submitter. He has led the formation and coordination of a number of tangata whenua working groups on projects that were of national importance. He has represented a wide range of iwi, corporates, councils, community and environmental groups on RMA matters.
Tim Baker (member)
Tim is a principal hydrogeologist and discipline manager for hydrology and hydrogeology at SLR Consulting. Tim has over 20 years’ experience across a broad range of water resource projects with a technical specialisation in groundwater, groundwater quality, and the management of discharges to land. He routinely supports councils and applicants in both resource consent and decision-making processes, this includes the provision of expert evidence in at council hearings, Environment Court, and Board of Inquiry.
He has experience across a range of sectors and activities including landfills, wastewater discharges, mining and quarrying, irrigation, and diffuse agricultural and horticultural discharges.
Tim has been an accredited RMA Commissioner since 2023 and has recent Fast-Track experience via his role as technical reviewer for two Regional Councils.
Cherie Lane (member)
Cherie Lane is a planning consultant, with over 40 years’ experience, principally within private practice in New Zealand. She has particular competence in urban and commercial planning and strategic development planning. Cherie holds a degree in planning (Bachelor of Town Planning, Auckland University) and has independent hearing commissioner chair certification. She has acted as both chair and panel member within the last fifteen years for more than 80 hearings in the Auckland region and more recently for hearings for both Waikato District and Waikato Regional Councils.
Cherie also has Panel member experience with the COVID Fast Track process (Waerenga and Rangiriri solar farm projects); and with the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 (Annie’s Way solar farm project).
Cherie is a Director of her company, Lane Associates Ltd, formed in 1996. Cherie worked as a planning consultant while residing in Melbourne (1999–2002) and was previously an Associate / Senior Planner with Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd (1986–1996).