Rob Makgill

Lincoln University Ghent University Faculty of Law & Lincoln University Faculty of Environment, Society and Design

Robert is an environmental, natural resources and public law litigator.

He was awarded a doctoral scholarship through the Maritime Institute, Department of Public International Law, University of Ghent in 2005, and is a member of the Institute’s doctoral research programme.

Robert was legal counsel in the International Law for the Sea Tribunal’s (ITLOS) historic advisory opinion proceedings on deep sea mining in the High Seas in 2010, and is presently advising a party to the ITLOS advisory proceedings on illegal fishing activities within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of third party States.

He represented the New Zealand Law Society before the Parliamentary Select Committee during the passage of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zones and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012.

Robert is currently an EEZ hearings commissioner for the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and advised the EPA on regulation of exploration and development within New Zealand’s EEZ in 2012.

He chaired the Legal Working Group during the International Seabed Authority's Workshop on Environmental Management Needs for Exploration and Exploitation of Deep Sea Minerals, and has advised the Secretariat of the Pacific Community on various aspects of the European Union funded deep sea minerals project.

Prior to going to the bar, Robert was the principal litigator in a nationally based environmental law practice.  During that time the practice was awarded the Resource Management and Environmental Law Award at the New Zealand Law Awards in 2011, and first runner-up in 2012.

He is a member of the Environmental Law Committee, New Zealand Law Society; World Conservation Union (IUCN) Commission on Environmental Law (Specialist Group on Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs); and a Research Fellow of Lincoln University Faculty of Environment, Society and Design.