New Zealand's resource management framework is in a period of significant change which will put compliance monitoring and enforcement under the spotlight. However, regardless of the legislation we're working under, the fundamentals of good enforcement decision-making will remain constant: sound judgement, consistency, and the ability to balance discretion against the need for action.

This interactive workshop explores the reasoning skills that regulators lean on when responding to an environmental incident.Working through a series of scenario-based exercises, participants will unpack how enforcement decisions are actually made: what factors get weighed, where the lines of discretion sit, which tools fit which situations, and how decisions can be defended and applied consistently.

Through facilitated small-group discussion and debate, the session will tease out different approaches, test assumptions, and look towards a shared, practical framework for balancing discretion and enforcement. The workshop is suited to anyone with an interest in how these decisions are made, but is primarily aimed at those in the engine room - i.e. compliance officers, investigators, team leaders, and managers across councils and enforcement agencies.