Our Team

Richard is Ecological Solutions Managing Director. He holds a MSc. in Zoology from Otago University where he studied land use effects on the Taieri River. Richard began his consulting career with Kingett Mitchell in 1997 where he spent 2 years learning the freshwater ecology consulting trade through a wide array of resource consent acquisition and monitoring projects throughout New Zealand including consenting the Envirowaste Hampton Downs Landfill in North Waikato, reconsenting of the Roxburgh Hydro Dam and presenting evidence in the District Court following the collapse of the Opuha Dam in South Canterbury.

In 1998 Richard undertook his OE in Europe where he worked as a freshwater ecologist with the Water Research Centre assessing the new water framework directive and the freshwater ecological effects on the Tisza and Danube Rivers of the Baia Mare cyanide dam collapse in Romania for the Hungarian Government.

After returning to New Zealand in 2000, Richard took on the challenge of establishing a new office for Kingett Mitchell in Christchurch. During this time, Richard was heavily involved in the consenting of large irrigation projects including the Central Plains Water Scheme, monitoring coal mine discharge effects and consenting the Pike River Coal Mine and as a reviewer of the Waitaki Hydro Electric Scheme reconsenting.

Richard became a part owner in Kingett Mitchell and then Golder Associates in the early 2000’s before moving to the Bay of Plenty to establish the Golder Tauranga office. Richard established Freshwater Solutions in late 2009 to provide specialist high quality freshwater ecology and water quality services. Under Richard’s direction, Freshwater Solutions undertook water quality and ecological assessments to support resource consent acquisitions for Alliance Group – Mataura and Lorneville Meat Processing Plants, numerous residential land development projects in Auckland and the Waikato, Fonterra processing plants including assisting with the application of Matauranga Maori, monitoring of primary industry discharges, stormwater discharges and water supply and irrigation takes.

In 2022, Freshwater Solutions merged with the Ecology Company to form Ecological Solutions. Since then, Richard has been the managing director with the team now numbering 20. Richard has remained actively involved in a wide variety of projects including leading the fast track consenting assessment for the Rotokauri Greenway in Hamilton, the plan change process and consenting for Warkworth Land Company, the fast track plan change process and consenting of Oyster Capital’s Drury development, hydro-electricity and solar energy assessments and various ecological offsetting restoration projects such as the establishment of the first reproducing black mudfish population following relocation into restored habitat at Lake Waiwhakareke.

Richard has been certified to be a hearings commissioner and has presented expert evidence throughout his career in council hearings and the district and environment courts. Richard’s vast project experience, ecology expertise, pragmatic approach, client centric focus and long consulting career allows him to identify and manage ecology risks in complex projects and secure the right outcomes for clients.

Nick is a director and senior freshwater ecologist at Ecological Solutions and holds an MSc. (Hons) in Biology from Waikato University. He has been a consultant since 2004 and with the company since 2014.

Nick grew up in Kawerau and spent a lot of time on the Tarawera River and Rotorua lakes, where he first developed an interest in freshwater environments. Nick started his career at Waikato Regional Council as an aquatic ecologist and assisted with the Regional Estuary Monitoring Programme. He then worked at Kingett Mitchell and Golder Associates for 10 years, where he first met Richard Montgomerie and Dr Mike Fitzpatrick.

Nick worked on many small and large high-profile resource consent applications, and implemented compliance monitoring programmes across a range of freshwater ecosystems for clients in the dairy, mining, quarrying, energy generation, land development, pulp and paper, water supply and local government sectors. Nick was appointed the lead freshwater ecologist on large mining projects in Fiji (Waisoi), Philippines (Mindoro), and the Solomon Islands (Santa Isabel), where he coordinated and undertook complex ecological surveys with local ecologists and prepared Environmental Impact Assessments to International Finance Corporation standards.

Nick joined Richard at Freshwater Solutions in 2014 to set up the Auckland office and has contributed to the growth of the company from 2 to 20 employees, most of whom are based in Auckland. Nick became a shareholder in 2016 and director in 2022 during the merge with The Ecology Company to form Ecological Solutions. Nick has a strong technical background and plays a key role in mentoring and guiding staff by sharing his knowledge gained over 20 years of expertise as a consultant.

He is a stable and consistent presence in the company, maintains high standards with pragmatism and adaptability, and accepts and tackles challenges to get projects across the line with workable outcomes for clients.

Gary (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāpuhi ki Whaingaroa) holds a PhD in Biology from Waikato University. Gary lectured at the University of Waikato (including to fellow director Nick Carter) and then began his consulting career with NZ Environmental in Kerikeri, where he spent two years doing land development and District Council work in Northland.

In 2009, he moved to Mitchell Partnerships and commuted between his home in Northland and Takapuna every week. At Mitchell Partnerships, he worked for the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors, working on a wide variety of high-profile projects throughout New Zealand. This included the Mt William North mining area, Cypress mining area, the investigation of various hydroelectricity options in the North Island and the proposal for a monorail in Fiordland. 

In 2016, he ended his weekly commute and started The Ecology Company based in his home town. As a sole trader, Gary continued his work for the mining, energy and land development sectors and worked part time as a co-ordinator and ecologist for Reconnecting Northland, a landscape-scale restoration project in Northland. He also took on new work with iwi and hapū in the North, writing several hapū management plans and other forest management plans, as well as supporting iwi economic development on their land. Other projects included Fulton Hogan Land Development’s Drury project and the mining proposal for Te Kuha.

In 2022, The Ecology Company merged with Freshwater Solutions to form Ecological Solutions. Since then, Gary has led the terrestrial team and remained actively involved in a wide variety of projects including solar farms, hydroelectricity schemes, mining, land development, conservation and restoration projects and iwi and hapū support.

Gary is often called on to act as a peer reviewer, either before applications are lodged or after, and has provided advice to district and regional councils, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and the Environmental Protection Agency. Gary is certified to be a hearings commissioner and has provided expert representation in mediations, and prepared and presented expert evidence in council hearings and the Environment Court. Gary’s depth of project experience in a range of New Zealand ecosystems from coastal to alpine, his experience in consenting large projects and his ecology expertise, pragmatism, and solutions-focused approach enables him to identify and manage ecology risks in complex projects and provide reliable advice for clients.

Chad holds a BSc. in Natural Resource Management with a specialisation in Wildlife Management from the University of British Columbia. Chad began his consulting career in forest management because in western Canada, the majority of the land base is public forest land, and foresters are the primary managers of wildlife habitat. Chad integrated his experience with forest management and wildlife population dynamics as part of a small wildlife management consulting firm in northern British Columbia from 1999 to 2003. During this time, Chad calibrated a Benthic Invertebrate Index of Biological Integrity (B-IBI) for a provincial forest district.

In 2003, Chad opened a new consulting office in Alberta and extended his consulting career into the oil & gas and mining industries, doing environmental impact assessments for large-scale exploration and operational oil sands, natural gas and surface mining. In 2007, Chad took up a regional management role with the Alberta Conservation Association, a not-for-profit organisation focused on managing land for public recreational and conservation use.

Having travelled to New Zealand in 1999 and being captivated not only by the beauty of its landscapes, but by kiwis themselves, when the opportunity arose to relocate to Aotearoa in 2011, it was decided a family adventure was too good to pass up. Chad took up the role of stay-at-home dad and commenced a PhD in environmental science at Auckland University. In 2016, he decided to park his PhD to re-enter the consulting industry by taking up a role with CKL New Zealand Ltd. as an Environmental Team Lead focused on the confluence of integrated stormwater management and ecology. Chad took up a Principal Ecologist role with Ecology New Zealand Ltd in 2018, where he provided senior-level technical leadership in the delivery of both freshwater and terrestrial ecological impact assessments, fauna management, and prepared and presented expert evidence in council hearings.

Chad Joined Ecological Solutions in 2024 as a Senior Ecological Consultant. His breadth of technical ecology expertise, project experience, leadership, and solutions-orientated approach position him well to identify and manage ecology risks across diverse, complex projects and provide sage advice for clients.