Debbie Tilley

Debbie Tilley is a Principal Planner based in Cato Bolam’s Orewa office. She has 19 years’ planning experience, including roles as a Resource Planner and Senior Consultant, and became a Principal Planner at Cato Bolam in 2019.

Debbie has broad experience across land development and infrastructure planning. She has prepared and managed resource consent applications for residential, rural, coastal, commercial, industrial and community developments, as well as energy, infrastructure and mining projects. This breadth of experience enables her to recognise the wider issues that can influence a project and to identify a practical way forward.

A particular strength is working through complex or unusual planning approvals. Debbie assists with projects involving constrained sites, overlapping planning requirements, multiple or linked consents, historic approvals and existing-use questions. She becomes involved from the outset, helping clients assess development potential, refine layouts and establish a consenting strategy before coordinating the application through Council processing and approval. She is experienced in responding to technical information requests, resolving difficult planning issues and adapting the strategy when new constraints emerge.

Within her broader practice, Debbie works with individual landowners, families, developers and organisations, and specialises in complex rural and rural-residential subdivisions. Her experience includes transferable rural titles, in-situ subdivision and proposals supported by the permanent protection and enhancement of wetlands, indigenous vegetation and other natural features. She enjoys finding solutions that allow clients to make appropriate use of their land while achieving lasting environmental benefits.

Outside work, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the beaches of the Hibiscus Coast, tramping, travelling around New Zealand and overseas, and looking after her collection of rescued animals.