Nelson City Council has appointed a Hearing Panel consisting of independent hearing commissioners Greg Hill (Chairperson) and Michael Parsonson, and Councillors Trudie Brand and Rohan O’Neill-Stevens (sitting as Commissioners). The Hearing Panel’s function is to hear and make decisions on the submissions to the plan change and to make a recommendation to the Council whether or not it should approve Plan Change 29. The Panel's delegations also include addressing any procedural matters.

Download the Panel Terms of Reference.

Members of the panel are obligated to declare any conflicts of interest as per the Panel's Terms of Reference, the Member's Interests Registers are available for viewing under each member's biography below.

Meet the Panel

Greg Hill (Chairperson)

Greg Hill is an independent hearings commissioner and consultant resource management planner with over 35 years' experience. He holds degrees in Economics, Geography and Town Planning (University of Auckland).

Some of his more significant commissioner roles have been:

  • Chaired Auckland’s Intensification Planning Instrument hearings under the RMA – giving effect to the legislation and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (2020)
  • Chaired Private Plan Change 28 – Nelson (2021/22). Large scale rezoning from Rural to Urban.
  • Greg was the General Manager of Policy and Planning at the Auckland Regional Council prior to the establishment of the Auckland Council. This role included all of the RMA policy/planning functions including the growth management (including the social and economic aspects to growth), the regional policy statement, regional plans as well as regional transport.

Plan Change 29 Hearing Panel - Members Interests - Greg Hill

Michael Parsonson

Michael Parsonson is a resource management consultant with 25 years’ experience. Michael has a Masters in Geography and is a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute. He has been a panel member on many district and regional council hearings, two boards of inquiry, and six fast-track consent panels.

His background includes council management and regulatory roles, and private sector work including consenting, designations, policy development, guideline development, and training. Michael’s experience includes consenting and plan making for greenfield development, brownfields redevelopment, large-scale infrastructure, and natural hazards management.

Plan Change 29 Hearing Panel - Members Interests - Michael Parsonson

Rohan O’Neill-Stevens

Rohan O’Neill-Stevens is a politician, resource management commissioner, and campaigner. First elected to Nelson City Council in 2019 as its youngest ever councillor, they were appointed Deputy Mayor in 2022, and serves as Deputy Chair of Nelson’s District Licensing Committee.

In addition to a range of roles within Nelson City Council, Rohan serves as the president of Trafinz, The New Zealand Local Authority Traffic Institute, as co-chair of Local Government New Zealand’s Young Elected Member network, and as chair of the Showquest Charitable Trust, alongside a range of other governance roles both locally and nationally.

Plan Change 29 Hearing Panel - Members Interests - Rohan O'Neill-Stevens

Trudie Brand

Trudie Brand has been a local politician since 2019 as a Nelson City Councillor. Since 2020, she has served as a qualified Hearing Commissioner, and in 2022, she joined the District Licensing Committee. With three decades of diverse professional experience spanning business, government, and non-government organisations, Trudie brings a wealth of knowledge in governance and trustee roles. In addition to her political career, she currently contributes to the community as a board member of Nelson Y.M.C.A., a Past President of the Rutherford Rotary Club, and a member of the Celebrant Association NZ. Previously, she held the position of vice-president of the Nelson Residents Association.

Trudie holds a Bachelor degree in Commerce and Management (BCM - double major), a post-graduate diploma (PGDipSS), and diplomas as an Independent Celebrant, Career Counsellor and Life Coach.

Plan Change 29 Hearing Panel - Members Interests - Trudie Brand