Setareh is a senior associate in the firm's local government and environment group. She regularly advises local authority, private sector, and transport infrastructure clients. Setareh specialises in advising clients on plan changes, resource consents, including comprehensive development plans, and designations. She represents clients in prosecution proceedings, appeals against consents and plan changes. She also assists them to draft bylaws and comply with building control requirements. She regularly appears before the Coroner's Court, Department of Building and Housing, Environment Court, District Court and High Court.
Setareh brings to the firm over 12 years' experience in this area. Prior to joining the firm she was the team leader of litigation in Waitakere City Council's legal team.
Examples of Work:
- Auckland Transport - advising on designations and processes to enable transit orientated development along the Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) corridor from Panmure to Botany
- Auckland Council - lead counsel on the drafting and defending of six plan changes for the former Waitakere City Council, which integrated land-use planning and transport. The plan changes:
- expanded the metropolitan urban limit in the northwest to Massey North and Hobsonville, including the establishment of a new regional centre, to employ and house 8,000 people;
- established a new marine industry hub;
- introduced provisions for the intensification of New Lynn; and
- introduced urban design rules to manage intensive land uses
- Auckland Council - lead adviser on the establishment of a comprehensive development plan for the new regional centre at Massey North, including relevant designations for infrastructure provision
- Hastings District Council - advising on the implementation of the new Building Code requirements for fire safety, and other Building Act advice
- Waitakere City Council - advising on means to achieve transit orientated development in and around New Lynn
- Auckland Regional Council - advising on regional growth management methods and development control policies in and around centres and along corridors
- Auckland Transition Agency - advising on enforcement policies
- Waitakere City Council - lead counsel in successfully defending the decision of the Council before the Environment Court for a comprehensive development plan to establish a new housing and mixed use precinct for 3,000 people at Hobsonville Point
- Waitakere City Council - successful defence of the Council decisions before the Environment Court and High Court to grant resource consents for medium-density developments in Te Atatu Peninsula, Titirangi and Glen Eden
- Waitakere City Council - successful prosecutions for the removal of protected vegetation, altering buildings and land uses without consent and creating landfills
- Waitakere City Council - drafting internal policies for earthquake-prone, dangerous and insanitary buildings
- Waitakere City Council - drafting Council bylaws under the Bylaws Act and Local Government Act in respect of Health and Hygiene, Public Places, Liquor, Traffic and Transport and Parking
- Waitakere City Council - successfully defending the Council's decision making processes before three Coronial Inquiries
- Waitakere City Council - advising on gambling venue policy to incrementally reduce pokie machines
- Waitakere City Council - representing the Council before the Department of Building and Housing in respect of decisions made under the Building Act
- NZTA - advising the former Transfund on alternative funding mechanisms and alternative transport mode funding under the Land Transport Management Act
Other Credentials
- ADLS Environment Committee and Resource Management - Member
- Resource Management Law Association - Member and past co-convener of the Climate Change Sub Committee
- Lexis Nexis seminar series - Regular presenter on enforcement issues for local authorities
- Conferenz seminar series - Regular presenter on local government prosecutions
