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About the Board of Inquiry – Turitea wind farm proposal

The Minister for the Environment, Hon Nick Smith, announced the members of a board of inquiry in December 2008 to consider Mighty River Power’s proposal for a new wind farm. 

The role of the board is to consider submissions on Mighty River Power’s applications for resource consent for the Turitea wind farm proposal, to hold a public hearing and to make a final decision on the proposal.

The Chair is Judge Shonagh Kenderdine , an Environment Judge, and the other members are Richard Heerdegen, John Hudson, David Bunting and Chris Shenton.

Biography of chairperson and Board members:

Judge Shonagh Kenderdine graduated MA(Hons) from the University of New Zealand (Otago) 1960, and LLB from Auckland University 1980. She was a Teaching Fellow and junior lecturer in history at the University of Sydney and Victoria University of Wellington prior to becoming a lawyer. From 1981-1986 she practised in environmental law in the state and private sector (including BP New Zealand) before becoming Senior Crown Counsel in the Crown Law Office. She was appointed a Planning (now Environment) Judge in 1990. She is based in Wellington. Judge Kenderdine has given papers at numerous conferences, both here and overseas.

Richard Heerdegen, from Otaki, is a consultant and certified RMA hearings commissioner. He is an honorary research associate in environment and planning, Massey University. He has experience of local government being a past member of the Manawatu Wanganui catchment and regional water boards and a member of the Palmerston North City Council social and planning sub committee and environmental trust. He has experience of RMA hearings, being the Minister of Conservation’s appointee on several restricted coastal activity hearings and was a hearing commissioner for resource consent hearings for the Wellington Marine Education Trust Centre and the Motorimu Wind Farm near Palmerston North.  He will bring local knowledge and an understanding of RMA hearings procedures to the Board.

John Hudson, from Hawke’s Bay, is a landscape architect with over 25 years of experience.  He specialises in subdivision, roading and infrastructure projects. He has worked on Transmission Gully landscape assessment and site audits for Transpower. He has had considerable experience in landscape assessments for proposed wind farms. He was engaged by Wellington City Council to report on Meridian Energy’s proposed Mill Creek wind farm, West Wind Makara wind farm and Mighty River’s Long Gully wind farm application.  He was engaged by Genesis to assess the Awhitu wind farm in 2004 – 2005.  He is a fellow and past president of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.

David Bunting is a civil engineering graduate from Canterbury University. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand. He has been a board member of the Institution of Professional Engineers, the Engineers Registration Board and the Chartered Professional Engineers Council. Prior to his appointment as an Environment Commissioner, he was international manager and then business development manager for Opus International Consultants. He has extensive experience of physical infrastructure development projects in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and many developing countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Chris Shenton, from Wanganui, has tribal affiliations with Whanganui, Ngati Apa, Ngati Hauiti, and others. He is project manager with Te Roopu Rangahau O Ngati Apa and has been a Hapu development officer. He was research manager for the Whanganui Claim committee between 1994 and 1997.  Since 2006 he has been involved as a hearings commissioner for the Horizons Regional Council. 

Last updated: 3 July 2009