We'll sort it!
Welcome to DECODE
Let me do it so you don't have to. If you have an idea, a project or an activity that requires the big tick from the authorities, I'll take care of it. A decade and a half on the frontline of the resource management profession dealing with everything from two-lot subdivisions to industrial scale mineral extraction and horticultural operations means I can handle anything you want to throw at me. Give me a shout.
Decode is a one-man band Planning practice offering affordable and reliable planning and resource management advice and consenting services for small to medium businesses and residential developers. Based in the lower South Island we have an in depth knowledge of the resource management issues and statutory planning documents of the Otago and Southland regions, but with more than a decade of local government planning experience, both here in NZ and overseas, our expertise are able to be put to use whereever in the country your project may be located.
Give us a shout today and let us help make your dreams a reality.
About.
My whole career has led me to this (obviously). This is where I'm meant to be. I'm a one-man-band, and proud of it. It gives me the flexibility to do what I've learnt over the last 15 years is that I do best (and love doing the most) - helping bring peoples ideas to life.
I have extensive experience in both local government and private consultancy, as well as in both consenting and policy work. I have experience in all types of consents under the RMA, and many approval processes under other legislation too. I have an intimate knowledge of all districts and regions (and their planning documents) of the lower South Island, but have worked right across the country.
Taking the vision of others and turning it into a thing of reality is what drives me the most. This drive, when combined with my experience, makes for a lethal combination when it comes to navigating bureaucratic processes.
I love connecting with the big-sky thinkers and the 'doers' out there, taking what it is that I know and what I can do and smashing through any of the developmental barriers that get in the way.
Planning since 2005
I'm coming up on 20 years in the planning and development game. The first decade or so of that was spent doing the hard yards at local authorities, having the privilege of serving the community in both the planning policy and resource consenting spaces. However, the last eight years have been where I've really come in to my own working either as an in-house planner for private corporations, or as a planning consultant. The majority of that work has been based south of the Waitaki, the little corner of NZ that I call home, but rest assured I have been involved in projects right across the motu.
Here for You, Whenever
I've lived resource management and consents for most of the last 20 years so have a deep understanding and appreciation of most of the consenting challenges and frustrations you might be experiencing. No matter where you are in your project or what stage of the planning or consent process you're at, I'm only a quick email away from being able to help ease that stress and frustration for you, and ensure your approvals are delivered as quickly and cheaply as possible.
MY GOAL
Simple. Get shit done with as little fuss as possible while trying to have a little bit of fun along the way. That's it.
What We Do.
Resource Consents.
Whether you're building a house that can't quite fit all the Council rules, or establishing an industrial site that requires multiple resource consents, I can take care of it for you. I will work with you and your team to prepare and lodge an application on your behalf. Once lodged, I'll liaise with the Council until we get the 'yes' you need to see your ideas become a reality.
Subdivision.
Nearly two decades of experience in both processing and preparing subdivision applications leaves me well placed to support your next subdivision project, no matter its scale and nature. Whether it's splitting up the farm, carving off a back yard that's now surplus to requirements, or a more ambitious greenfield development, I've probably done it all before and would love to do it all again, for you.
submissions & Advocacy.
Got something to say but not quite sure how? I can work with you to help you understand how a resource consent proposal or potential changes to planning rules and land zoning may impact on you and your assets. And as I speak fluent bureaucrat, I can help make sure you have a seat at the table and are able to present your ideas in a way all the other bureaucrats understand.
development potential.
Before you sink those finances into a project or property that may or may not prove fruitful, let me give you peace of mind by taking a look to ensure you're fully up to speed with the development potential of a site or proposed activity, and aware of any potential pitfalls you could encounter along the way. Planning rules and regulations are a minefield. Let my years of experience take the guess work out of it for you, and the worry.
ALL the help You need to succeed
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Experience
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Knowledge
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Industry contacts
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Communication
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Integrity
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Drive
I believe these are all the ingredients needed to achieve success in the resource management planning environment. I have them all. Extensive industry knowledge and professional contacts, built-up through years of wide ranging experience as a Planner. A clear and concise communication style to lay it all out, and the integrity and drive to take ownership of the task of seeing you through to a successful outcome. Everything that you need to succeed in helping to make your ideas a reality.
Why we do it.
I am what is ostensibly known in the industry as a 'Planner'. However, I would probably call myself more of an 'Implementer' than a Planner. Sure, I have stamped my mark on a number of the policy and rule frameworks found in the RMA plans in the south of NZ, but the majority of the work I do now involves implementing those plans.
At a basic level, District and Regional Plans set out how certain activities should be undertaken to ensure the impacts of those activities on the environment are appropriately managed, and development is sustainable. To outsiders of the profession, these frameworks can seem like complete gobbeldygook. It's my job to help explain them, to help people make sense of them and to ensure your activity is achieving the outcomes the RMA plans are trying to achieve.
Essentially, my job is to decode these RMA plans for non-planners.
​Then once it has all been decoded, I put it all back together in a neat little package that meets all the needs of the consent authority, in language that they as Planners will understand.
Stuff We Have Done.
residential.
commercial & industrial.
rural.
With stacks of experience in residential development, I can help with whatever residential project you have on the go. Land use consents for new dwellings - no problem. Subdivision consents for everything from a 2-lot infill development to a large, multi-stage greenfield development - I have done it before, and can do it for you too. But for me personally, multi-unit, medium density development is what really gets the juices flowing in the residential sector, and these are the type of projects I can really add some value to.
Commercial and industrial developments are no problem for Decode Consents. I've been involved in everything from large dairy and meat processing sites, to quarries, to Big Box retail and business park developments. This experiences means I understand the consenting challenges covering all aspects of a large variety of activities, from land use consents through to discharge permits. Tourism activities (including visitor accommodation, cycle trails and commercial surface water activities) and transport/contractors yards are two areas of particular expertise and interest.
Whether it's carving off a section of the farm, introducing a new land use that brings in another income stream, or going in a completely new direction, I can help decode your consenting requirements. Dairy liquids and biosolids spreading, farm quarries, horticultural operations and dairy renewals are all areas I can help with, and have done so in the past with great success.
we deliver
Whether it's a subdivision or land use consent that you need from the City or District Council, or a discharge, water or coastal permit from the Regional Council, I can deliver you what you need to get going with your project.
Contact Me!
I'm always up for a chat. I love hearing those crazy ideas (and the not so crazy ones) and seeing what I can do to help turn them into something inspired. An email outlining some of the basic details of your idea is the best way of ensuring a prompt and insightful response to help set you on your path to success. Drop me a line. info@decodeconsents.com
Servicing all parts of Otago and Southland, plus anywhere else in Aotearoa New Zealand you need us to.
