Shona Walter
Other Legal Staff
Associate
|
Christchurch
Bio
Shona is an environmental lawyer in our Property team, with experience across environmental and resource management matters, including energy law, climate change and water law.
Shona has worked internationally, including three years in the wind energy sector in Spain and academic research on EU environmental law at a Danish university. This experience gives her a strong understanding of environmental regulation at both a strategic and project level.
Raised on a dairy farm in the Waikato, Shona brings a practical appreciation of rural land use and the realities faced by landowners. She understands the importance of timely, clear and commercially focused advice.
Outside of work, Shona is fluent in Spanish and Dutch, and enjoys art and culture, DIY projects and hiking.
Recognition
Qualifications
- LLM - Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven
- Admitted in New Zealand - 2012
Work highlights
- Helping a gravel extractor to navigate multiple issues raised by regional council and local iwi about the renewal of their gravel extraction consent.
- Representing several gravel extractors before regional council in relation to a Local Government Act document which had important implications for future resource consent applications.
- Representing and advising a Māori Trust in relation to a rezoning submission on a district plan review, with the objective to recognise Treaty rights and existing use rights in a flood risk area.
- Obtaining a certificate of compliance for a plantation forestry company to enable them to continue their operations across multiple forests, despite the introduction of new, more restrictive planning rules.
- Advising on the establishment of a solar farm through resource consent and Fast-Track process.
- Obtaining emergency power directions from regional and district council to decommission a dangerous dam.
- Helping a plantation forestry company navigate an afforestation consent process, addressing issues regarding water yield with the assistance of experts in hydrology and fresh water ecology.
