0
Contact Us
Sarah Scott
BCom LLB • Christchurch
DD
Mobile
Email
LinkedIn
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 and energy.
Sarah specialises in advising both private and public sector clients on the consenting of large-scale projects under the RMA and related legal regimes such as the fast-track legislation.
She 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.
Sarah works for both private and public sector clients, in both the consenting and policy space. She advises councils as consent authority including through Environment Court appeals. Her practice covers all RMA matters including enforcement, local government law and due diligence investigations, as well as judicial reviews and regulatory work.
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025
Environment & Resource Management
Leading Lawyer
Asia Pacific Legal 500 2025
Projects & Resources Management
Leading Lawyer
New Zealand Law Awards 2016
Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year
Work Highlights
Transpower New Zealand
Assisting Transpower in the Otago RPS hearings and appeals, the Dunedin 2GP appeals, and various appeals on 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
Fast-track consenting project; ensuring the position endorsed by the Supreme Court is properly reflected in lower order policy documents.
Planning processes
Acting for Queenstown Lakes District Council for over ten 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 Otago and West Coast Environment Court appeals on Regional Policy Statements.
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.
Environmental compliance
Enforcement advice for many local authorities, and advising Veolia Water on various environmental compliance issues associated with the operation of wastewater treatment plants.
