Joanna Beresford

Joanna is an environmental lawyer who advises public and private sector clients on resource management issues.   She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2005 after completing a conjoint BSC (in Geology) LLB (Hons) and obtaining a BSc (Hons) with First Class Honours in Geology.

Joanna is skilled negotiator who is experienced in resolving environmental disputes.  She has acted on a wide range local government and resource management law processes including strategic plan changes, consenting, designations and public works, and environmental enforcement and compliance.  She has both broad experience and a pragmatic and strategic outlook that allows her to assist clients to devise strategies to obtain development outcomes.

Joanna is a member of the ADLS environmental & resource management law committee and a mentor for the College of Law New Zealand mentoring programme.

BSC (Geology) / LLB (Hons) and BSc (Hons) with First Class Honours in Geology from the University of Auckland. Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2005.

• Environmental and Resource Management advocacy.
• Strategic advice on plan changes and policy instruments.
• Resource management consenting.
• Infrastructure and designations.
• Resource management compliance and enforcement action.
• Environmental public policy and law reform.

• Joanna has:
• Acted for clients on all sides of resource management matters, including applicants / developers, submitters, community groups, requiring authorities, local authorities and central Government in relation to resource consents, designations, plan changes and enforcement and compliance matters under the RMA
• Negotiated settlements for applicants, submitters and requiring authorities including representing clients in mediations.
• Represented developer clients in disputes with councils over development and financial contributions.
• Acted for applicants, submitters and requiring authorities in plan review and plan change processes (including large scale urbanisation proposals).
• Acted for regulators and land and resource users on environmental compliance and enforcement matters (including in sensitive coastal environments and urban environments)
• Acted for requiring authorities on large-scale infrastructure projects and advised on compensation issues under the Public Works Act, including obtaining authorisations for Māori language immersion schools and for new water, stormwater, wastewater projects to serve new or growing communities.
• Acted for submitters affected by large scale rail, tunnelling and roading infrastructure projects including appearing before Boards of Inquiry.
• Advised local and central government entities on compliance with environmental and local government legislation including natural hazard land use policy, landfills, contaminated sites remediation, consultation requirements, development contributions, council plans and relationships with council organisations.
• Assisted landowners to work with councils to ensure that neighbouring sites comply with environmental obligations.
• Undertaken environmental due diligence for property and commercial clients and advised on the implications of the planning regimes affecting prospective purchases.
• Developed successful strategies for managing heritage issues for clients either seeking to protect historic heritage and landowners seeking to redevelop heritage properties.

• Northern Land Property Limited v Thames Coromandel District Council [2021] NZEnvC 180 – successfully acted for a Coromandel landowner in securing development rights in a sensitive coastal environment.
• Environment Court in Tauranga City Council v Minister of Education [2019] NZEnvC 32 (as junior) – challenging the validity of financial contributions conditions on education designations.
• Real Living (Properties) Limited v Auckland Council [2016] NZEnvC 34 – successfully acted for a residents’ group in opposing consent for the redevelopment of a retirement village.
• Milford Centre Limited v Auckland Council [2014] NZEnvC 23 – acted for an existing supermarket affected by the proposed redevelopment of a shopping mall.
• Kiwi Property Holdings Limited v Auckland Council [2013] NZEnvC 303 – acted for a listed property trust concerned about the effects of the Britomart redevelopment on its CBD office assets.
• Auckland Council v Hugh Green Residential Limited [2013] NZEnvC 137 (as junior) – successfully acted for a residential developer to remove a spite strip preventing development of its land in Albany, Auckland.
• Orakei Point Trust v Auckland Council [2012] NZEnvC 245 and ORC Limited v Auckland City Council (Environment Court, Auckland A089/ 2009) – acted for a garden centre affected by the proposed comprehensive redevelopment of Orakei Point.
• Envirowaste Services Limited v Auckland Council [2011] NZEnvC 130 – acted for a water services provider seeking to protect the underlying aquifer on a quarry filling application.