Capabilities

Environmental

Planning for a Sustainable New Zealand

We shape New Zealand’s future by balancing development with environmental responsibility. Our approach blends local knowledge, technical expertise, and compliance to deliver sustainable outcomes. From urban to rural projects, we guide clients through every stage, supporting both economic growth and environmental preservation.

Through collaboration with councils, mana whenua, and communities, we safeguard the character and ecology of each region. Whether it’s a subdivision, commercial development, or infrastructure, our strategies create long-term environmental value.

Benefits of Environmental

Clarity in a complex regulatory landscape
Robust ecological assessments
Balanced, practical solutions
Efficient consent processes
Future-proof strategies

Clarity in a complex regulatory landscape

Navigating national and regional policies (e.g. NES-F, NPS-FM, regional rules) can be challenging. We translate these into clear requirements, reducing risk and delays.

Robust ecological assessments

From wetlands to waterways, our assessments identify environmental values, potential impacts, and appropriate mitigation to ensure compliance and sustainability.

Balanced, practical solutions

We focus on outcomes that protect the environment while enabling projects to proceed, finding the balance between development needs and ecological responsibility.

Efficient consent processes

Strong technical evidence, clear documentation, and effective engagement with councils and stakeholders streamline the path to consent approval.

Future-proof strategies

By integrating sustainable practices and long-term environmental considerations, we help projects meet today’s needs while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.


Types of Projects and Services

  • Ecology, including:
    • Ecological Assessments, including:
      • Broadscale habitat mapping
      • Ecological constraints and opportunities assessments
      • Terrestrial and freshwater ecological values and impact assessments
      • SEV (Stream Ecological Valuation) and Rapid Habitat Assessments (RHA)
      • Macroinvertebrate sampling (MCI) and freshwater fish surveys
      • eDNA sampling and interpretation
    • Fish passage assessments, risk evaluation, and mitigation design
    • Wetland identification and delineation
    • Planting Plans and wetland mitigation, restoration, and offset strategies
    • Wildlife Act matters
    • Ecological management and monitoring plans
    • Data analysis and state of the environment reporting
    • Develop & implementation of freshwater policy
    • Non-regulatory planning
  • Soil contamination, including:
    • Preliminary Site Investigations (PSI’s) / Detailed Site Investigations (DSI’s)
    • Remediation Action Plans
    • Validation Reports
    • Contaminated Site Management Plans
  • Consent compliance
  • Bylaws
  • Site environment and stormwater management plans
  • Monitoring Plans
  • Receiving environment monitoring

Key Contacts

Our Experts in Environmental

We’re experts in environmental regulations, consent requirements, and long-term sustainability goals. Our team is also available to address any additional questions about planning processes or compliance needs.

Contact Us

Dr. Andy Hicks

BA/BSc (HONS) PhD

Principal Ecologist (Sub-Consultant)

About Dr. Andy Hicks

Andy leads our ‘Environmental’ sector focusing on the freshwater and ecology space. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2004 with Honours, was awarded a PhD from the University of Otago in 2012 and has 20 years of professional experience working in academia, Central and Local Government and the private sector. Andy has been involved in leading science investigations and providing technical advice for a wide range of District and Regional Council activities, Central Government and research institutions. He has presented evidence in the Environment Court and has experience working from the sides of Council, applicant and submitter. Andy’s experience in dealing with various aspects of the environment and preparing ecological impact assessments is broad and covers various domains. With a solutions-focused and systems-thinking approach, Andy is well-placed to identify practical, win-win scenarios in situations that may otherwise appear too daunting or too hard.

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Mark Roper

BSc PgDip Biology

Consultant Ecologist

About Mark Roper

Mark is an experienced ecologist with a demonstrated 13-year history of working globally in scientific research, environmental consulting, and forestry industries. Mark has extensive experience engaging with industry and regulators to facilitate accurate planning inputs, reduced consent processing times, and the development of methods to demonstrate compliance with relevant legislation & best practice. His specialities include project management, ecological impact assessments, biodiversity offsetting, environmental monitoring, stream ecological valuation (SEV), fish passage design & evaluation, acoustic bat surveys, and restoration ecology. Mark is an ecologist and consultant whose career bridges applied field ecology, research, and innovation across New Zealand and northern Europe. With a background in both freshwater and bat ecology, Mark has built a reputation for delivering technically sound, practical, and forward-thinking ecological advice to government agencies, private developers, and conservation organisations. Mark’s professional ethos combines scientific rigour with approachability. He thrives at the intersection of ecology, technology, and people—linking local action with global conservation insight.

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Laura Taylor

Environmental Consultant

About Laura Taylor

Laura graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science, specialising in Earth Sciences and Geology. Laura also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management from Massey University in 2020. Since joining Stradegy in 2023, Laura has contributed to several high-profile projects, demonstrating her expertise in environmental management and compliance. At Napier City Council, Laura worked in a project support function during the recommissioning of the Wastewater Treatment Plant following Cyclone Gabrielle. Microsoft Project was utilised to coordinate project demands and identify critical milestones, ensuring a smooth recommissioning process. In a separate role with Napier City Council, Laura conducted on-site reviews of trade waste and stormwater management throughout Napier City, trained site staff, and reviewed and approved Trade Waste applications.

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Jason Strong

MSc (1st Class Honours)

Managing Director | Contaminated Site Specialist

About Jason Strong

Jason Strong is the Managing Director of EAM NZ Ltd and an experienced environmental practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in contaminated land assessment, remediation, and environmental management. Born and bred in Hawke’s Bay, Jason brings deep local knowledge and strong relationships across the region’s councils, iwi, and industry sectors. Jason has been involved in a wide array of contaminated land projects ranging from straightforward environmental impact assessments to large, complex projects requiring the organisation and coordination of multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers. His technical expertise spans environmental chemistry, detailed site investigation, risk assessment, and remediation design and implementation. Jason’s project experience covers a diverse range of sectors and contexts, including residential subdivision and urban development, industrial and port facilities, food premises, managed fill consenting, and post-disaster environmental recovery. He has extensive experience acting as Lead ‘Suitably Qualified and Experienced Practitioner’ on contaminated land assessments and remediation projects, ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil. A key strength Jason brings is his experience navigating the resource consent and regulatory framework. His prior roles as Manager Environmental Services at Napier City Council and Trade Waste Officer at Hastings District Council give him a practical understanding of how councils assess and manage environmental risk, and enable him to develop pragmatic, consent-ready solutions for his clients. Jason has a proven track record of stakeholder and iwi engagement on complex projects. He has worked closely with Ngāti Rongomaiwahine and other mana whenua across a range of projects, reflecting both his personal connections and his professional commitment to meaningful partnership. He is experienced in Iwi, contractor, and Council liaison, and the development of Site Management Plans and Contaminated Site Management Plans. Jason has played a leading role in the Hawke’s Bay response to Cyclone Gabrielle, providing silt sampling plans, Site Management Plans, sampling services, and risk assessment advice as part of the ongoing silt recovery programme. He is comfortable in a wide range of professional environments and is well regarded for his ability to communicate complex technical findings clearly and accessibly to clients, regulators, and community stakeholders alike. With over two decades of hands-on experience in Hawke’s Bay and beyond, Jason brings a depth of technical knowledge, regulatory understanding, and local relationships. He approaches every project with practicality and a genuine commitment to achieving sound environmental outcomes for clients and communities.

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Locations

Napier

45 Tennyson Street

Napier South, Napier 4110

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Hastings

308 Queen Street East

Hastings 4122

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