Civitas Ltd Planning Consultants

We engaged Iain McManus to do a site assessment of our herne bay property with regards to what potentially could or could not be done with the place ,the completed report and general information given was very detailed , accurate and of a very high standard, thanks Iain job well done.

We have engaged Iain as an expert witness in a very complicated civil case we took to the High Court. It was a complex cross-lease / land use issue we had going on with our neighbours for the last five years. On top of all this, Auckland Council added further nunsense to the case by rejecting a Resource Consent, which created a legal precedent. Auckland Council completely ignored our legal and land owner's rights, trying to conceal a legal wrongdoing with an attempt to create a Planning and Unitary Plan issue which was not there on a first place.Iain managed to untangle this complex puzzle and his expert opinion was the key component in the High Court Judgment. We had a total victory in the High Court. Now this case is a Public Record for future references.I can't recommend enough Iain and CIVITAS for experts in Planning and Court Cases.Thanks very much again for the great work, we wish you all the best in your career.Please do not hesitate to contact us for future references.SincerelyRado Botev

Iain is a very knowledgeable and experienced planning specialist. His understanding of relevant legislation, policies and rules is first-rate. That, combined with his practical, pragmatic approach and friendly demeanor, allows to confidently recommend Civitas to anyone looking for a highly competent planning consultancy.

If, like me, you don't have the time to learn to navigate Council bureaucracy, and you have time critical resource consents that need sorting, it is well worth the money to pay a planner to manage these.Iain dotted all the 'i's and crossed all the 't's so that the Council had nothing to object to. The whole thing went very smoothly. Highly recommended.

I've consulted Iain several times recently and have found him honest, generous and very capable. I'd recommend him to anyone seeking a town planner or planning advice in Auckland.Keith Hunter, Ardmore Road, Herne Bay

Iain provided insightful and comprehensive advice. I appreciated his in depth rather than superficial approach. He is an excellent communicator, prompt, and was responsive (to all my questions), professional and friendly. I also recommend his informative newsletter and blog.

We have used Iain for nearly 16 years on at least 10 developments and have always found him to be incredibly responsive, accurate and engaging. He seems to have a very good rapport with Council planners which helps immensely. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Iain to others needing planning advice around the Auckland area.