Property Council of NZ Environment Court case 2012
Earlier this year the Property Council of New Zealand sought to have the Environment Court case decision of May 2011 reconsidered.
The Environment Court decision handed down last year, in answer to the request by North Shore City Council, Waitakere District Council and the Auckland Regional Council for a “Declaration of Meaning” on some of the wording within the changes to the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining Act) 2009, its interpretation and meaning of the words “groups of trees”.
From this determination Auckland Council formed its policy of keeping general tree protection in place within certain zones across the whole amalgamated city. It is the earlier Environment Court declaration and therefore the subsequent Council interpretation that the Property Council of New Zealand is questioning.
The Tree Council, and all the other parties that took part in the first Environment Court case, are registered as s274 parties.
Progress to this point is slow with the latest update we have had being that the Counsel for Auckland Council and the Property Council have had discussions to narrow down the issues for legal argument to the Court.
So we have to wait and see what happens.