Lauren Semple and Sheena Tepania will be based in Wellington and Auckland, respectively
Attorney General David Parker has announced the appointment of Lauren Semple and Sheena Tepania as judges of the Environment and District Courts.
Semple hails from Christchurch and has been a partner at Greenwood Roche since 2013. She led the firm’s resource management team, acting on several large-scale developments and hydroelectricity and irrigation projects. She has also acted for the crown on large-scale development projects.
Semple has more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of consenting large-scale development projects using a range of processes, including traditional consenting under the Resource Management Act, direct referral, special legislation, and applications under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Act 2020. She has specialised in developing alternate consenting pathways since 2011, and has also advised various infrastructure agencies in relation to the reform of the Resource Management Act 1991.
Tepania (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāti Rua, Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) has been a barrister sole since 2018. She previously worked with Tamatekapua Law in Auckland for more than a decade.
She has been an independent hearings commissioner since 2011, and was appointed by the local government minister as a development contributions commissioner in 2020. She also served as an independent commissioner to work with the Tūhua (Mayor Island) Trust Board, helping oversee resource consent applications.
Upon taking up their warrants, Semple will be based in Wellington, while Tepania will be based in Auckland.
