New Zealand’s environmental legislation is undergoing the most significant reform in decades, with the Natural Environment Bill set to fundamentally reshape how environmental outcomes are set, managed, and delivered.

For environmental professionals, this legislation will influence policy development, plan-making, consenting, monitoring, and implementation for much of our working lives. Understanding the intent, structure, and implications of the Bill is critical ahead of engaging in the submissions process.

The New Chapter of EIANZ is hosting a high-level orientation webinar, with support from the New Zealand Planning Institute, designed to help environmental practitioners navigate the Natural Environment Bill and focus their efforts where it matters most.

This session is intended to set the scene ahead of EIANZ’s in-person and online submission workshops. It is not a technical legal seminar, but a practical overview to support meaningful engagement from an environmental practitioner perspective.

The webinar will cover:

• An overview of the Natural Environment Bill and its intent
• Key themes and structural changes relevant to environmental practitioners
• Where practitioners should focus their reading and attention
• How this session links into EIANZ’s broader submissions programme

Meet the Speaker

Megan Couture | NZPI Board Member and Senior Associate, Planning at Beca NZ

Megan Couture is the Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) and a senior planning and policy practitioner with extensive experience across environmental policy, planning frameworks, and legislative reform. Megan has worked across central and local government, infrastructure, and consulting contexts, and is well regarded for her ability to translate complex legislative change into practical implications for practitioners. She has also presented NZPI submissions at select committee.

This event will run off New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) and will run for 1 hour. This webinar will be recorded and the recording will be made available to all registered attendees in the days after the webinar.

Not an EIANZ member?

Consider joining as a student, associate or full member today! To receive the member rate to the webinar make sure you apply for membership prior to registering for the event! Join here →

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