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Sarah Scott
BCom LLB • Christchurch
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Sarah heads the firm’s South Island Planning and Environment team. She is recognised as a leading environmental and resource management lawyer.
Sarah has an in-depth understanding of all environmental regimes with a particular focus on infrastructure, urban development, energy and strategic policy.
She works closely with both public and private sector infrastructure owners, operators and investors on obtaining approvals for nationally significant projects across three waters, ports, energy transmission and urban growth infrastructure.
Sarah also has significant experience in strategic planning and policy work, taking a lead role in various high-profile and litigious processes - working with large teams through extensive council hearing processes, to defending subsequent appeals.
Her practice covers all RMA matters including enforcement, local government law and due diligence investigations, as well as judicial reviews and regulatory work. Sarah has also given extensive advice on the current reform of the Resource Management Act.
Chambers Global & Chambers Asia-Pacific 2026
Environment & Resource Management
Leading Lawyer
Asia Pacific Legal 500 2026
Projects & Resources Management
Leading Partner
Work Highlights
Fast Track
Sarah has quickly become an expert in New Zealand’s Fast-Track consenting regime since its establishment in 2024. She has successfully obtained referral into the regime, and is working on various referral and substantive applications across housing and infrastructure projects. She is also acting for councils in their regulatory role on a significant number of projects within Canterbury and Queenstown Lakes.
Transpower New Zealand
Assisting Transpower in the Otago RPS hearings and appeals, the Dunedin 2GP appeals, and the Mackenzie district plan; obtaining resource consents and designations for the North Island Grid Upgrade Project and the USI Reliability Orari Project; advice to Transpower as asset owner in respect of various designations in Auckland, emergency works, the Nelson Airport runway expansion; representing Transpower as System Operator on Meridian’s direct referral to reconsent its Waitaki Hydro Scheme consents.
Port Otago
Successful referral of the Southern Links inland port into the Fast-Track regime; ensuring the position endorsed by the Supreme Court is properly reflected in the Otago RPS and RMA decisions.
Planning processes
Acting for Queenstown Lakes District Council for over 12 years through Council hearings on its proposed plan, and then on an extensive number of Environment and High Court appeals, across a wide breadth of topics.
Acting for Christchurch City Council on fast-tracked and bespoke plan review and hearing process, and in subsequent High Court and Court of Appeal litigation.
Acting for Transpower in implementing the NPS for Electricity Transmission across a number of South Island policy processes.
Acting for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu on resource and nutrient allocation, and freshwater issues, and appeals on Regional Policy Statements and the Te Tai o Poutini Plan.
Consenting projects
Port related and industrial activities, transmission and distribution line and substation designations and related consents, bulk storage terminals for BP, global discharge consents for Christchurch City Council, a hotel for Pegasus Golf, the Overseas Passenger Terminal on the Wellington Waterfront for Willis Bond, a commercial ‘maze’ and related water takes in Selwyn.
Acting for Environment Canterbury as consent authority in water take and use appeals, and QLDC in respect of appeals relating to rural living development, visitor accommodation, Skydive Queenstown’s direct referral for Queenstown Lakes.
Roading, stormwater, and airport litigation
Public Works Act acquisition for land required for storm water detention and the Northern Arterial, including related High Court negligence, nuisance and contract claims, and issues relating to the growth of both Christchurch and Queenstown airports.
