Alan Webb KC: a ‘ramshackle’ career shaped not by strategy but by chance

Mahvash Ikram

Newly appointed King’s Counsel Alan Webb is not a fan of the government’s plans to overhaul the country’s resource management framework.

A member of The Law Association’s Environment & Resource Management Law Committee, Webb says the recently-released Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill, which will replace the Resource Management Act, and their push to fast-track the process and simplify the law, go too far.

As Webb sees it, the simplification risks upsetting the careful balance between development and environmental protection that has defined resource management for more than three decades.

“People forget why the RMA was brought in in the first place,” Webb says. “It was to pull everything together – all those separate planning laws – and put it under one coherent purpose.”

The key issue with the new legislation, he says, will be to see how far the pendulum swings.

“You match it up with the purpose of the RMA, which is sustainable management of natural and physical resources. So you’ve got two quite different things going on, and then somewhere in between those two poles will be the purpose of this new legislation and this new approach to development in New Zealand,” he says.

“I think a move away from sustainable management of natural and physical resources is a bad thing. I think we should stay with that concept. It’s all about balance. The question will be whether they’ve shifted the balance too far one way, like development over sustainable management.”

Webb acknowledges the RMA has its faults, but says its problems stem from execution, not design.

“It’s been criticised for being slow and clunky, but a lot of that’s down to how it’s administered, not the Act itself,” he says. “You can always make it work better, but throwing it out and starting again doesn’t seem like the right answer.”

The government’s RMA reforms are aimed at speeding up approvals for major projects and cutting unnecessary red tape. Ministers say the reforms will make it easier to build infrastructure, housing and energy projects by streamlining the consenting process and replacing the RMA’s complex system of regional and district plans.

In its place, the government plans a new framework that gives stronger weight to economic growth and nationally significant projects, with environmental protections consolidated under a single set of national rules.

Webb is an unapologetic defender of the about-to-be-repealed RMA.

His perspective has been shaped by more than 30 years in courtrooms, from his first job in Palmerston North handling 300 debt collection files to his career at the independent bar.

Nearly four decades later – after stints in London, Wellington and Auckland – Webb still credits those early days for teaching him what the courtroom is really about.

Where it all began

It was the 1980s, and Webb had just graduated from Victoria University and landed his first job at a Palmerston North law firm.

“They had a contract with a finance company and there were about 300 files sitting there. I just had to systematically go through draft statements of claim and file them in the court. And what was really good about it was that… I used to turn up at the district court. I had 80% of the matters on the list.”

In those early years, Webb says senior barristers sometimes invited him to observe their criminal trials.

“They used to let me tag along on some of the big ones, murder trials and that sort of thing. I’d just sit at the back and watch,” he says. “It was brilliant. I learned so much just watching how they did things.”

Because Webb was in court so often for debt collection matters, the local bar knew him and encouraged him to observe how serious criminal work was done.

He says the chance to watch experienced Crown prosecutors and defence counsel in action left a lasting impression and helped him to understand courtroom rhythms, how to question witnesses and how senior lawyers managed juries and judges.

After a few years in the Manawatū, Webb headed to London for an in-house role at National Power, before returning to New Zealand to join the Crown Solicitor’s office in Wellington in the mid-1990s.

There, he worked alongside a cohort of future judges and KCs. “We just had a great time,” he says. “It was four years of back-to-back jury trials and a brilliant bunch of people.”

From there, Webb moved to Russell McVeagh in Auckland, followed by a brief stint at his father’s old firm, Norris Ward McKinnon, in Hamilton.

“When they got in touch, I thought, ‘yeah, why not, that might be quite nice’,” he says. The move was partly sentimental – a chance to see the place where his father had practised.

Webb senior, also a lawyer, died of a heart attack before his son graduated from law school. Webb describes him as a clever man and being appointed KC felt like a tribute to his father.

Now, with his own son studying law at the University of Otago, Webb says the appointment brought a satisfying sense of continuity – a connection between generations that runs through his career and his life in law.

After leaving Hamilton, Webb says moving back north was straightforward.

“It didn’t work out in Hamilton, and my wife’s from Auckland, so we moved back up,” he says. “I didn’t really know what I was going to do, but I knew I didn’t want to go back into a big firm.”

He began working directly with instructing solicitors, a path that led naturally to life at the independent bar, where he has practised ever since. “We’ve been here ever since – about 23, 24 years now.”

Becoming a KC

Webb says the decision to apply for King’s Counsel wasn’t something he had planned.

“I wasn’t sure about applying,” he says. “A few people said I should, and I thought, ‘oh well, I’ll give it a go’.” The process forced him to look back over his career in a way he hadn’t done before.

“You have to sit down and really think about what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. It’s quite confronting, actually.”

The application made him realise how much of his work had been shaped by chance rather than strategy, from his early court experience in Palmerston North to his eventual focus on public and resource management law.

Completing the paperwork and reflecting on decades of practice, Webb says, gave him a sense of perspective.

“You start to see the threads that run through it all.”

Getting the call

Months later he received a phone call confirming his appointment as King’s Counsel.

Webb was at home, about to head out for the evening. “It was a phone call … She said, ‘Are you sitting down?’”

After delivering the news, the caller told him to keep it quiet. He laughs, remembering those two weeks of silence. “Oh, it was awful… I was in sort of twilight zone, walking around going, ‘what’s happened here?’”

His wife was the only person who knew. But after the official announcement, Webb says he was overwhelmed by the response, with messages and calls arriving from friends and colleagues across the profession.

For him, the rank represents recognition and responsibility.

“I feel like it comes with a whole lot of responsibility as well, just to maintain that and maintain the standards of the profession.”

These days, Webb’s practice centres on resource management, public and administrative law, and the occasional judicial review. Alongside his environmental committee work, he is also a member of The Law Association’s Public & Administrative Law Committee.

He says the work often takes him out of the office and onto the land itself.

“Resource management is a really good blend of everything, because one day you’re standing in a paddock looking at a stream, and the next day you’re in the High Court, arguing a judicial review or something like that.”

Advice to young lawyers

Describing his own career as “ramshackle,” Webb says he is constantly impressed by young lawyers.

“They’re really bright, and they’ve got their hearts in the right place,” he says. “It’s a tougher environment for them now, but they’re doing really well.

“My advice is work hard. Seriously work hard and work out whether you enjoy the law. If you don’t enjoy it, maybe don’t do it … If you work hard and you enjoy it, really work hard to get good marks … that’s what provides you with opportunities.”

But it’s important to be true to yourself, he says

“You’ve got to be you. If it’s not right, move on. But if it is, if the law feels like home, then go hard.”

Outside court

Away from court, Webb’s world revolves around family, the ocean and fitness.

“My wife’s a primary school teacher and arguably her role in society is more important [than mine] because she’s looking after our future and it’s certainly a lot more difficult.” He adds that her days are a lot harder than his.

When not in chambers, he keeps active. “So I’m a yoga freak. I do yoga religiously. Twice a week. Basically surfing. I do a lot of walking. We’re into overnight tramping.”

His favourite place is Tonga. “It’s just a bit of a hard-case place. Lovely people and just always seemed to have a good time there.”

That mix of humour and humility has shaped Webb’s outlook on life. For all his achievements, he insists law isn’t for everyone, and that knowing when to walk away is just as important as knowing when to dig in.

And for him, the rank of KC isn’t a finish line but a reminder to honour the legacy of his father, inspire his son and maintain the standards of the profession.