Experience on both sides of the fence...

Land Compensation Consultants Limited is primarily an advocate for landowners faced with a Public Works Act acquisition or compulsory take, or those seeking the return of land under the offer back provisions of the Public Works Act. John, Mark and Paul are adept at this work having been on “the other side of the fence” for so long.

They all have extensive high level specialist work experience in all aspects of public works acquisitions and large infrastructural projects. They offer this expertise to those land owners requiring assistance to deal with the stress of a Public Works Act acquisition or compulsory take.

Principals

Paul Cassin

Paul Cassin is a Director of Land Compensation Consultants Limited and has been a Barrister and Solicitor since 1971.

Upon qualifying in 1971, Paul took up private practice in Wellington, where he remained until 1978. He worked as a General Practitioner, and did Court work at all levels of the then Court system.

From 1979 to 1982, Paul worked as a Company Secretary in Perth, West Australia. Upon returning to New Zealand in 1982, Paul joined the Ministry of Works and Development.

Initially he worked in the Property Services Branch until November 1985. In this job he supervised Clutha Valley Development Land Acquisition for the Clyde High Dam and specialised in Public Works Act acquisitions and disposals.

From November 1985 to March 1988, Paul was Assistant Office Solicitor, Ministry of Works Head Office and in this role continued his specialisation in Public Works Act land related matters.

He also worked on amendments to legislation, including the Public Works Act, in this period and undertook Court, Arbitration and Tribunal work.

Following the dissolution of Ministry of Works and Development in March 1988, Paul set up a legal practice in Wellington, which specialised in providing land related and commercial leasing advice to a large number of Government Departments, including the Parliamentary Service Commission, Justice Department, Ministry of Education and the Housing Corporation of New Zealand.

A significant portion of this advice related to s.40 Public Works Act 1981 requirements and responsibilities relating to offer back of surplus land.

Paul disposed of this practice in 2000 and he then joined with Mark McKinley to form a specialist service to land owners in relation to land acquisition and disposal under the Public Works Act 1981, and the assessment of appropriate compensation. Paul is the company solicitor for Land Compensation Consultants Limited.

Mark McKinley

Mark McKinley is a Director of Land Compensation Consultants Limited and a Registered Valuer.

Between 1972 and 1987 Mark was employed in the Property Services Branch of the Ministry of Works and Development.

Between 1972 and 1976 Mark was involved in the acquisition of properties for the Wellington Urban Motorway, extensions to Victoria University, Wellington Hospital, new school sites and land for housing development in Nelson and Wairarapa.

From 1976, Mark was primarily employed on the large energy projects and natural gas pipeline projects in various parts of the North Island.

He was involved in the assessment, negotiation and settlement of easement fees, injurious affection, production losses and disturbance claims arising from this major construction project.

Between 1987 and 1996, Mark worked in the field of commercial property management, the securing of tenants and the leasing up of a large commercial property portfolio and the subsequent selling down of the portfolio to a variety of investors in various parts of New Zealand.

In 1996, Land Compensation Consultants Limited was formed and since inception Mark has negotiated a large number of compensation claims on behalf of landowners including industrial and business relocations, the sale of garden centres, dairy farms, horticultural blocks, sheep farms and land ripe for subdivision.

In cases of partial acquisition or the negotiation of an easement interest the assessment of injurious affection and disturbance items became important components of the negotiations.

Consultants

John Gallen

John Gallen qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1962 and worked initially for the Justice Department and then shifted to the office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives in 1965. From 1975 to March 1988, John worked in the legal branch of the Ministry of Works and Development Head Office.

He became Office Solicitor in 1979. John specialised in Public Works Act land related matters and Town and Country Planning Act Policy and litigation plus Water Law.

Following the dissolution of Ministry of Works and Development in March 1988, John became Office Solicitor for the Ministry for The Environment and remained there until 2002.

He presently specialises in the areas of the Public Works Act, the Resource Management Act and other Environmental Law areas including Water Law.

John was a foundation member of the Resource Management Law Association and was made an Honorary Member in 2000. In that year he also received an award from the Association for his outstanding contribution to the development of the law, theory and practice of resource management.

John has worked as a Consultant to Land Compensation Consultants Limited since 2002 in his specialist areas and work assignments have included some complex Court cases.

John Coffey

John Coffey is a Registered Valuer. Between 1971 and 1992 John worked in the Property Services Branch of the Ministry of Works and Development. Two years working in Wellington and then in Christchurch.

He was involved in the assessment, negotiation and settlement of easement fees, injurious affection, production losses and disturbance claims.

The work also covered the acquisition of properties required for motorways, roads, the New Town at Rolleston, the airport on the Chatham Islands, transmission lines, housing and schools. This entailed John working in Christchurch, rural South and North Canterbury, the West Coast of the South Island and the Chatham Islands.

Between 1992 and 1995 John joined Rosevear Wing and Associates and worked as a valuer and in real estate.

From 1995 to 2003 John worked for Opus Consultants as a valuer and was involved with the acquisition and refurbishment of residential and life style properties for community housing. He was also actively involved with the acquisition of sites for telecommunications and in general property acquisition work including the Kura Kaupapa site in Spreydon.

In 2003 John moved to the UK and worked as a property consultant for the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Richmond upon Thames. The work was wide-ranging and included valuations; landlord and tenant work on a wide range of properties including telecommunication sites.

The work also included negotiating licences over land. He was also employed by Transport for London settling claims for compensation for land required for a number of projects. He returned to NZ in October 2009 and is now resident in Christchurch.

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