KAHUENVIRO.COM - Key Persons
Anita lives the notion that hard work and good communication leads to the best partnerships. She's got this natural big-picture lens and an incredible knack for making sure everyone (everyone: from technical support staff to senior team leads) knows what's going on and what's coming up. If she's not replying to email, it's because she's out shredding New Zealand's ultra off-road mountain bike races.
Anita has been a planner for twenty years and loves new challenges. She has an Honours degree in Resource and Environmental Planning from Massey University, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Studies. Anita has worked for local and regional government in New Zealand and in the UK, and for large multi-disciplinary design and engineering firms in the UK. Her expertise includes:
Planning analysis
Policy review and development
Project management and business analysis
Infrastructure consenting
Strategic Environmental Assessment
Community-led planning
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive / Kaiwhakahaere
Debbie leads teams through policy and plan reviews, and project manages large residential and commercial developments. Her welcoming personality means she can carry out stakeholder engagement and community consultation with style. When she's not smashing out excellent work, she can be found on the golf course improving her handicap on sunny Wairarapa days.
Debbie has worked in planning since 2004 and joined the Kāhu team in 2016. She has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the Victoria University Wellington. Debbie has worked for local government and consultancies within New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia and has significant experience with:
Residential, commercial and rural subdivisions and developments
Plan changes and policy review
Project management
Stakeholder and community consultation and engagement
Job Titles:
- Director
- DIRECTOR / PRINCIPAL PLANNER
- Principal Planner / Director
Helen's been co-director at Kāhu Environmental since 2010. She often works on the ‘pointy' end of natural resources policy - like developing policy, writing submissions for you, preparing and giving evidence in the environment court, or mediation. She loves it more when she gets to do proactive stuff like design new systems and processes that help everyone avoid having to do those pointy things. She also loves teaching and thinks knowledge is empowering and new ideas are energising.
Helen is a firm believer in the benefits of walking meetings and yoga, and is a mean digger driver on her family's farm.
Helen joined the company as a director in 2010, when it was called Perception Planning. She has a Bachelor of Resource and Environmental Planning with honours (environmental science specialisation) from Massey University. Helen has worked for local and central government organisations in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, including Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Ministry for the Environment and Horizons Regional Council.
Lily is one of the nicest and most understanding planners you're ever going to meet. From razor-sharp RMA legislation analysis to designing GIS maps, she's there for you with your project's big picture in mind and a smile on her face. Before she joined Kāhu Environmental she worked in local government planning departments. She loves tramping, swimming, and writing clear and easy to read planning documents for regular people. A fierce determination complements her sunny disposition.
Lily has an honours degree in Environmental Management and works on a range of projects including consent applications, RMA research, and district and regional plan reviews. She is very interested in environmental impact assessments, particularly regarding cultural and health outcomes. She is also a keen researcher and enjoys being involved with data analysis.
Lily specialises in:
Analysing and summarising submissions
GIS mapping
Drafting district and regional plan provisions
Writing and reviewing consent decisions, and s32 and s42A RMA reports
Processing appeals to RMA processes
Maggie is our go-to person when we have a curly policy question or a project that needs a touch of smart, out-of-the-box thinking. Friendly and professional, she takes complex RMA processes in her stride.
Maggie has a Bachelor of Environment Planning from the University of Waikato. Before joining Kāhu, she worked as an RMA planner at the Department of Conservation where she had forays into land-use, coastal and marine, freshwater, designations and heritage planning. Her most recent work focussed on renewable energy and bats in urban environments.
A self-described aerial fitness addict, Maggie spends her free time competing, teaching and training in dance, gymnastics and circus. Maggie has experience with:
reviewing and submitting on resource consents
policy review and analysis for district and regional plans
preparing and presenting planning evidence at council hearings.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of Kāhu Environmental
- DIRECTOR / PRINCIPAL PLANNER
- Principal Planner / Director
Phillip is co-director of Kāhu Environmental, which he founded in 2007 (when it was called Perception Planning) to give clients amazing project results and create a more sustainable future. Before Kāhu, Phil worked on resource management projects for government departments and private firms. For over 20 years he's been bringing technical planning experience, empathy, creativity and the power of relationships together to exceed your policy expectations. Phil also writes children's books that his dad illustrates, and never says no to a coffee and a good natter.
Phillip has a Bachelor of Resource and Environmental Planning with honours (physical geography specialisation) from Massey University. He has worked for councils in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and for consultancy firms in Christchurch and Wellington. Phillip has significant experience with:
Plan changes, re-zoning and policy development for district and regional councils
Large residential, rural and industrial developments
Resource consents for stormwater, wastewater and other contaminants
Planning advice and strategies for major infrastructure projects
Pippa is a multi-talented planner with a love of words and a propensity for starting her day with a cheeky crossword and coffee. Her morning ritual gets her focused on the writing and interpretation side of her planning work which sees her delving into areas such as science, economics and community development to come up with creative, outside-the-box solutions for clients. Pippa is also a talented graphic designer and spends some of her free time creating graphic art for people.
Pippa's background is in resource management planning, mainly in consents and large infrastructure projects. She has a Bachelor of Environmental Policy and Planning with first-class Honours from Lincoln University, and she has completed a PhD through the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia that focuses on infrastructure and climate change. She has worked across consultancies and local Councils all over Aotearoa and has held governance roles for large NZ charities.
Pippa has experience in:
Resource consent applications and processing
Plan changes
Research
Project management
Rachel is a skilled environmental educator and science communicator and is particularly interested in community engagement in biodiversity and water quality issues. Rachel develops and delivers freshwater citizen science programmes, inspiring rural and urban communities to weave environmental sustainability into their everyday lives. She has the most fun when she's out in the field, reaching people's hearts by finding cool bugs together and connecting people to nature. Her warm and exuberant nature is infectious, and we're pretty sure she knows literally everyone between Martinborough and Auckland.
Rachel also crochets, sews, and preserves things from her garden, while trying to convince her small children that eating dinner is, in fact, a good idea.
Rachel joined Kāhu Environmental in 2018 after working for over 10 years in environmental services for local government in New Zealand. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Auckland, and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from UNITEC New Zealand.
Rachel's experience includes:
Freshwater aquatic biodiversity and water quality monitoring
Citizen science programme design and implementation
Ecological restoration project design and advice
Catchment community engagement
Environmental education programme delivery