Tony Hughes-Johnson KC

Resource Management Law NZ

Tony Hughes-Johnson is a Queen’s Counsel based in Christchurch providing Resource Management and Environment Law advice throughout New Zealand.

 

Resource Management Law

 

Mr Hughes Johnson is available to provide advice relating to resource management and environmental matters (including to local authorities) in any region of New Zealand.

He also acts in litigation including matters before local authorities and Environment Court appeals and litigation.

Panels

Mr Hughes-Johnson is accredited and available for appointment by local authorities as a hearings commissioner including appointment as panel chairperson.

Commissions of inquiry

In 1995 Mr Hughes-Johnson KC was appointed by the Solicitor-General of New Zealand to act as counsel to assist the Commission of Inquiry into the Collapse of a Viewing Platform at Cave Creek, near Punakaiki on the West Coast, involving a lengthy hearing and the preparation and presentation of a report to the House of Representatives.

 Environment Court

Mr Hughes-Johnson has extensive experience in handling appeals in the Environment Court. 

Notable cases have included acting as counsel for the Christchurch City Council in Shirley Primary School v Telecom Mobile Communications Limited [1999] NZRMA 66.

Counsel for the Buller District Council in the long-running appeal Wood and others v The West Coast Regional Council and others (Decision No. C 22/99).

Senior counsel for Canterbury Too Good to Waste Inc in the appeal relating to the Kate Valley landfill Transwaste Canterbury Limited v The Canterbury Regional Council and others (Decision No. C 29/2004).

Senior counsel for the appellant in an important groundwater appeal in Lynton Dairy Limited v Canterbury Regional Council (C108 /05).

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Local authority hearings

Mr Hughes-Johnson has represented a number of local authorities, and in particular the former Waimairi District Council and later the Christchurch City Council, in a wide range of resource management and local government matters.

Mr Hughes-Johnson has appeared as counsel in numerous hearings before local authorities, including hearings affecting the formulation of planning instruments and applications for resource consents.

Hearings commissioner

Mr Hughes-Johnson has acted as a commissioner in important environmental law cases.

This has included appointment by the Christchurch City Council to act as chairman of a panel which heard applications for consents to establish and maintain an ocean outfall pipeline.

He was also appointed by the Waimakariri District Council to act as chairman of the panel that heard the applications relating to the outfall pipeline in the Waimakariri District.