On 14 July 2025, the panel convener appointed the expert panel. The panel consists of:
Sir William Young KNZM KC (Chair)
Sir William holds the degrees of LLB (First Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury and PhD from the University of Cambridge. Following his return to New Zealand from the University of Cambridge in 1978, he joined RA Young Hunter and Co. He commenced practice as a barrister in 1988, becoming a Queen’s Counsel in 1991. He was appointed to the High Court in 1997 and then to the Court of Appeal in 2004. He was President of the latter Court from 2006 until his 2010 appointment to the Supreme Court. He retired as a permanent Judge of the Supreme Court in April 2022 but continued to serve as an acting-Judge until April 2024.
Sir William has sat on the Court of Appeal of Seychelles and currently sits on the Court of Appeal of Samoa and the Supreme Court of Fiji.
He chaired the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch Masjidain on 15 March 2019. He is an honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple, an honorary Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and a Fellow of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (Arbitration). He holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Canterbury.
Rob van Voorthuysen (member)
Rob has acted as an independent RMA hearing commissioner on over 450 occasions on regional policy statements, regional plans, district plans, notices of requirement and consent applications.
He initially trained as an engineer, specialising in water and soil and coastal management, and later gained a Master of Public Policy.
Initially working for the former Ministry of Works, he moved into policy, planning and management roles for the Department of Conservation and the Waikato and Hawke’s Bay regional councils before commencing practice as a consultant in 1998.
Rob has been a panel member on five COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 consents, the most recent one being the Taheke Geothermal Power Station near Rotorua.
Dr Greg Burrell (member)
Greg is a freshwater scientist and director of Instream Consulting, an environmental consultancy. Born and raised in Greymouth, Greg’s professional career began at NIWA in Hamilton, although most of his working life has been as a consultant based in Christchurch.
Greg has over 25 years of professional experience in aquatic resource surveys, monitoring, river and groundwater management, and applied research. His expertise includes assessing ecological significance, ecological restoration, and assessing effects of surface and groundwater abstraction, mining, land development, flow regulation, and discharges to land and water.
His environmental science experience includes the technical aspects of fieldwork, data analysis, and report writing, as well as experience as a project manager, project director, expert witness, and decision maker.
Cathy Katene (member)
Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Maru
Cathy is an independent RMA hearing commissioner based in Taranaki, with over 10 years of environmental management experience. Cathy integrates mātauranga Māori and Western scientific methodologies, focusing on mātauranga Māori and the cultural impacts through the collaborative approach supporting whānau and hapū aspirations.
Cathy promotes Hapū and Whānau development and utilizes her knowledge of risk-focused Māori concepts in resource management, economic development, sustainability, health, and wellbeing.
Cathy has contributed to significant projects, including the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 project Kopu Marine Precinct, environmental court proceedings, cultural impact assessments, and sustainable community initiatives.
Cameron Lines (member)
Cameron is an Engineering Geologist with over 25 years of experience working on large open cast mining and quarrying projects and specialises in assessment of geotechnical risks in the extractives sector.
He has provided technical support to regulatory authorities when assessing consent applications and has developed and presented geotechnical evidence on behalf of both applicants and regional authorities at consent hearings and at the Environment Court. He is certified as an independent RMA hearing commissioner.
Cameron is member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AUSIMM), the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) and the New Zealand Geotechnical Society (NZGS). He is a Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand (Professional Engineering Geologist).
Register of interest
The register records all relevant panel members' interests, and is updated, when necessary, throughout the consenting process.