Our Services

We are specialist environmental planners, freshwater scientists and project managers. We are at our best when immersed in projects in partnership with our clients and their stakeholders to find balanced and enduring solutions. To ensure we reach the best outcomes, we tailor our approach according to the client’s aspirations, and the constraints, timeframes and realities of each project.

We have highlighted our key specialist areas below. Please get in touch if you have any questions about what we do and how we might be able to assist with your project.

We have offices in Taupō, Palmerston North, Wellington, and Christchurch and support clients nation-wide.

Freshwater Expert Advice

We are specialists in freshwater ecology, water quality, water quantity and hydrology. We provide expert advice on a variety of freshwater resource management issues:

  • Integrating science in freshwater quality and quantity policy development and implementation, including the implementation of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM)

  • Catchment-scale management of point- and non-point source discharges

  • Water quality and hydrological modelling

  • Designing and reviewing freshwater catchment management plans

  • Designing and implementing freshwater monitoring programmes, including training and support for community-based monitoring

  • Analysing state, trends, pressures and responses for freshwater management

  • Writing and supporting others to implement National Environmental Monitoring Standards (NEMS)

  • Developing water allocation frameworks

  • Appearing as an expert witness in resource management processes, and training and supporting others to act in this role.

Climate Change & Natural Hazards

We work alongside district and regional councils, tangata whenua, communities, and central government to develop approaches and strategies for managing change caused by climate change and natural hazards. Our team members are the leading experts in this field and specialise in the planning and implementation of long-term adaptive management plans and the use of Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning (DAPP) and other decision tools. We have extensive experience in facilitating cross-council and community engagement, and strategy development and implementation.

Resource Management Act (RMA) Processes

Our team include specialist resource management planners and full members of the New Zealand Planning Institute, as well as freshwater scientists with experience in RMA policy, consenting and compliance processes.

From smaller consent processes to large scale infrastructure, energy and development projects, we can assist you with:

  • Pre-application consultation

  • Planning feasibility assessments and design

  • Identifying the required technical expertise and information requirements

  • Preparation of consent application documents (including the management of expert input, consultation processes, and representation at hearings), and

  • Implementation of consent requirements.

We are experienced in developing and facilitating stakeholder engagement processes associated with freshwater policy, and preparation of resource consent applications for freshwater use and for discharges to land and water. Our work in this space has been recognised by the Chapman Tripp Project Award from the Resource Management Law Association for “Developing an approach in the reconsenting of the Ohakune, Raetihi and National Park Wastewater Treatment Plants that was culturally inclusive, collaborative and technically feasible and effective.”

Environmental Monitoring & Reporting

We have extensive experience providing technical expertise to a range of partners and stakeholders, including central government and government agencies, regional councils, territorial authorities, iwi / hapū, community and catchment groups and the private sector. We provide advice and services in relation to the design and implementation of freshwater monitoring and reporting, both in regulatory (e.g., compliance monitoring and reporting) and non-regulatory (e.g., catchment and community-based monitoring) processes.

  • We can provide all, or part, of robust freshwater monitoring and reporting programmes, including:

  • Monitoring design to match specified monitoring objective(s)

  • Community-based monitoring, support, and training

  • Catchment investigations

  • Freshwater monitoring: macroinvertebrates, fish, periphyton, habitat, water quality sampling, flow gauging

  • Data analysis, synthesis and customised report writing.

Traverse Environmental currently leads the “Mitigation effectiveness monitoring design” research programme funded by the Our Land and Water Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai National Science Challenge. This national project is developing robust and practical tools and resources to support the development of monitoring plans that are better able to detect freshwater improvements as a result of catchment management actions, such as on-farm nutrient management and erosion control measures.

Stakeholder Engagement

We understand that engaging with the right people, at the right time, and in the right way is essential to achieving positive outcomes. Our team have a wealth of expertise in identifying key groups and individuals, developing meaningful engagement strategies and facilitating public engagement processes.
Whether you require advice to connect with affected parties for a consent application, preparation and facilitation of a public engagement process, or expertise in cross-council/multi-agency processes, we have experts on hand who can help.

Policy Development

Writing, interpreting and analysing policy is what we do, with particular expertise in climate change adaptation, natural hazards, geothermal and freshwater-related policy. We have built our experience working with local and central government policy teams in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. If you want to prepare a submission on a proposed plan or strategy, undertake a formal review of a planning document, or prepare a new plan, policy, or strategy, please talk to us about how we can help.

Geothermal Energy

We have a deep understanding of the regulatory planning framework for geothermal resource allocation, consenting, utilisation and system management and have specific expertise and experience working in the geothermal industry. We have also been involved in the preparation of resource consent applications and associated assessments of environmental effects for geothermal development projects. Traverse Environmental is a member of the ‘Geothermal: the Next Generation’ (GNG) research programme, exploring the potential of supercritical geothermal development in the Taupō Volcanic Zone.

Project Management

We specialise in the project management and coordination of complex multidisciplinary environmental projects. We are often the ‘technical lead’ within large environmental projects, as well as having experience providing an overall project coordination role between the technical and policy work.

Our approach is to integrate and become part of the team for the duration of projects we manage, often over multiple years. This gives us an in depth understanding of the internal and external dynamics and allows us to build enduring relationships with our clients. This approach has seen us work with a number of clients for 10 years or more across multiple projects..

Hearings & Mediation

We have considerable experience in providing and presenting freshwater and planning expert evidence at Regional Council, District Court, Environment Court, and Board of Inquiry Hearings for resource consent and regional plan processes. We have also provided technical expertise in many pre-hearings, expert conferencing, and environment court mediation processes. We are also experienced in training, mentoring and coordinating technical experts for evidence preparation and hearing processes.

Simon Bendall is a qualified mediator, accredited by the Arbitrators and Mediators Association of New Zealand.
Dr. Olivier Ausseil is an accredited RMA Hearing Commissioner and is available to act as an independent hearing commissioner for both resource consent and plan hearing panels, where the involvement of experienced technical freshwater practitioner is required.