The Chief Freshwater Commissioner, Judge Laurie Newhook

The Chief Freshwater Commissioner (Chief) is appointed by the Minister for the Environment and must be a current or retired Environment Court Judge.

On 7 January 2022, the Minister for the Environment appointed Judge Laurie Newhook as the Chief Freshwater Commissioner.

The Chief oversees the scheduling of freshwater hearings, convening freshwater hearings panels, and managing the group of freshwater commissioners.

The Chief has the following powers and functions:

deciding when freshwater hearings panels are to be convened
determining the appropriate size and composition of a freshwater hearings panel
considering council and tangata whenua nominations to a freshwater hearings panel
appointing members to a freshwater hearings panel, including the chairperson who may be the Chief
approving or declining requests to extend any part of the two-year freshwater planning process. The Chief can alsoroving the request but with a different timeframe
to direct that a hearings panel be split into two panels to hear a freshwater planning instrument, and to appoint additional chairpersons if required
to notify, remove and appoint new members to a freshwater hearings panel
to accept or reject a variation to the freshwater planning instrument made after the council has provided documentation.

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