On 12 May 2025, the panel convener appointed the expert panel. The panel consists of:
The Honourable Lyn Stevens (chair)
The Honourable Lynton (Lyn) Stevens CNZM KC is a retired Judge of the Court of Appeal. He graduated with BA/LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1970 and obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law from Oxford University in 1972. He taught at the Faculty of Law, University of Auckland in 1970 and from 1974 to 1984, and was an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia from 1972 to 1974.
In addition to his admission as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand, he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Australian Capital Territory and the states of Victoria and New South Wales. He was also a barrister in Samoa and the Cook Islands.
Before being appointed to the High Court bench in 2006, he was a crown prosecutor and partner at Meredith Connell & Co from 1976, leaving to join Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co as a partner in 1980. He was appointed as a prosecutor on the Serious Fraud Office panel in 1990. He joined the Independent Bar in 1992 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1997. He was a Judge of the High Court for four years before being appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal for New Zealand in 2010.
He was appointed chair of the three-person government inquiry into water contamination in Havelock North in 2016-17. He served post-retirement as a temporary Judge of the Court of Appeal from 2018-19. He conducts mediations and arbitrations and has served as arbitrator in environmental cases.
Andrew Whaley (member)
Andrew is a civil engineer with over 30 years of experience covering project governance and management, design and as a site engineer. Projects have included transport infrastructure, large-scale irrigation and three waters upgrades and operations.
A Principal at GHD, Andrew is highly respected for his leadership talents and sought after for his ability to provide pragmatic advice that is outcomes focused. He has a pragmatic approach and understanding of commercial and risk impacts to projects.
Glenice Paine (member)
Glenice was appointed to the Environment Court as Deputy Commissioner in 2017 and reappointed in 2020. She has a background in the conservation and resource management fields and has held appointments on various Environmental Protection Authority boards of inquiry and decision-making committees, including Tauhara II Geothermal Power, Transmission Gully, Mackay’s to Peka Peka Expressway, and Tamarind Taranaki Ltd.
Sam Flewellen (member)
Sam is a planner with over 20 years of experience across a wide range of consenting and policy processes throughout New Zealand. He has worked across multiple planning projects involving large national corporations, district and regional authorities, and infrastructure agencies.
Sam is a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and accredited for RMA hearing panels under the Ministry for Environment's 'Making Good Decisions Programme'.
Register of interests
The register records all relevant panel members' interests, and is updated, when necessary, throughout the consenting process.