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Diana Hartley

Partner
About

Diana Hartley specialises in resource management, environmental, local government and public law. She acts for government entities, including local authorities and council-controlled organisations, as well as corporates and developers.

Diana has particular expertise in resource management and local government strategic advice, regional and district plan development and interpretation, and the consenting of large projects. She also provides advice on environmental due diligence for commercial transactions and contaminated land liabilities.

She appears before the Environment Court and High Court on district plan, resource consent and designation appeals, judicial review and declaration proceedings, and before Boards of Inquiry. Diana also regularly attends court-assisted mediation on behalf of clients.

Her extensive resource management experience includes advising in relation to urban growth and intensification matters, infrastructure projects, the rural environment, subdivision and heritage matters.

Professional QualificationsBarrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, 1995Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, 2004

EXPERIENCE

  • Lead external lawyer for Auckland Council in relation to the hearing of submissions about the zoning and precinct provisions of the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. She also advised the Council on and appeared at the Independent Hearings Panel hearings of submissions on the urban growth, future urban, rural, City Centre and sustainable design provisions of the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan.
  • Acted for Auckland Transport and Auckland Council in the Board of Inquiry into the New Zealand Transport Agency Waterview Connection Project and assisted them to achieve increased levels of mitigation.
  • Acted for the former Auckland City Council as applicant in the Environment Court hearings that granted the resource consent and designation for the upgrade of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
  • Acted for Auckland Council, Waikato District Council and Hauraki District Council in the resolution of the district plan appeals on Franklin Rural Plan Change 14. She successfully represented the councils in the Environment Court appeal hearings concerning the rural subdivision methods and the activity status of production forestry.
Certain of the above matters were handled by Diana prior to joining DLA Piper.
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Auckland, BA, 1995

  • University of Auckland, LLB (Hons), 1995
  • University of Cambridge, LLM, 2002

Awards

  • Diana is ranked in the 2019 Legal 500 Asia-Pacific rankings as a leading individual in Projects and Resource Management. Legal 500 describes Diana as "highly recommended, particularly for urban growth and intensification matters, rural issues and infrastructure projects".
  • Diana is given particular mention in the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific rankings 2018 for her "regular appearance in the Environment Court, High Court and before Boards of Inquiry". 

Memberships And Affiliations

  • New Zealand Law Society
  • Resource Management Law Association

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