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So you wanna be a Green Planning Consultant?
Nesh Pillay
Senior Planning Consultant, Green Group Limited
Q. Where do you work?
A. I’m a Senior Planning Consultant with Green Group Limited, a small boutique town planning consultancy in Ponsonby. We specialise in providing planning and resource management assistance to the commercial, industrial and residential development sector in the Auckland region.
Q. What does your job involve? Give us a run down of what you do in a typical day.
A. My day can be pretty varied. The main component of my job involves preparing resource consent applications to submit to District and Regional Councils, on behalf of our clients. That in itself could involve a myriad of tasks, including site visits, researching the background and history of a particular site or area, consulting with adjoining property owners or interested or affected parties, and preparing a report with input from other technical experts, such as traffic engineers and landscape architects. Depending on the nature and scale of the project, I sometimes also attend Council hearings and appear in the High Court and Environment Court, so it is a necessity to keep up to date with case law too.
Q. What’s the best thing about your job?
A. The thing I enjoy most about my job is the variety, both in the type of work we do and in the people we meet. In any given day I could be working on an application for a small addition to a residential house as well as a large scale amendment to a piece of national infrastructure. I also get to work closely with other professional disciplines, including architects, developers, engineers, resource management lawyers etc. and see what their jobs entail.
Q. Any downsides?
A. Unfortunately, with the type of work we do, it is a necessary evil that someone somewhere may not support the project our client is proposing. This can get very tricky when you are dealing with structures or buildings next to people’s homes. However, it comes with the territory and I think the key is a balancing act between the physical, social and economic needs of a community and the individual.
Q. How did you get into your field of work?
A. My favourite subjects at school were the social sciences, geography, english and maths - and my dad (who is also in the engineering industry), encouraged me to pursue something which would use those skills. Planning was the perfect solution as it combines geography and earth science with english and law.
Q. Did you study / do you need to study?
A. I achieved a Bachelor of Planning at the University of Auckland, which was a four year degree.
Q. What qualities do you admire most in a person?
A. I think honesty and integrity are key attributes in anyone I admire. People who have the courage to stand behind their opinions and values when others differ or disagree. My friends are all very different and come from all walks of life, but they are also very similar in that they are all strong, intelligent, independent people with their own opinions and the courage to stand behind them. Above all else though, I admire those who can have a laugh! If you have a sense of humour you can get through anything!
Q. Can you pass on three tips for success to teenage girls?
A. 1 - Don’t be afraid to have a voice. While planning is fairly evenly balanced in terms of the number of men and women, the sector planning sits within (development, engineering and industry), is male dominated, which can be daunting to some people. Speak up, your opinions are just as valid as others.
2 - Be open minded. There are so many possibilities and options available to women today that may not have been previously available. I think we sometimes shy away from opportunities because we are scared or hesitant to try new things. Go for it because you have nothing to lose.
3 - Enjoy yourself and have fun. If you enjoy what you do, it is reflected in your work and attitude. Life is too short to be spent doing something boring!
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sounds like a lot of hard work and at times stressful. Posted by POWERBALLIN25 "on" 08/13 "at"12:08 AM |
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