Testimonials

I have worked with Iain McManus of Civitas for over 20 years, first in my role as Director of Business and Planning at Diocesan School for Girls, and currently as Chief Operating Officer at the Saint Kentigern Trust Board.

Over this time, Iain has supported us on numerous projects, from routine resource consent applications to fully notified applications.  He has also supported us with stakeholder consultation, strategic planning advice to support Business Plans and on submissions during the Auckland Unitary Plan process.

Iain is meticulous and thorough and we have relied on his expertise to guide us through some complicated projects, always with a positive outcome. Iain has a strategic view, is approachable and professional and I have confidence that his advice will stand up to regulatory scrutiny.

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.

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.

We have found Iain's services to be extremely helpful.  He has been instrumental in our decision-making on a couple of projects now and we are very grateful for the professional advice he offers. We will certainly continue to his services in the future.

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.

I used Iain for a small but important (for me) residential job.  He impressed me as someone who knew exactly what he was doing, was accurate in his prediction of outcome, and also accurate in his estimates of timing and cost. I have no hesitation in recommending him to others.

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.

Thank you for the skilled and professional manner in which you have handled our variation application. Your submission was well thought out (from a jumble of material) and very well written in a concise to the point manner.  Your work has been nothing short of impressive.

Iain McManus is first rate.  Should I require planning services in the future Iain would be the only person I would call.  I thoroughly recommend Iain to any business needing planning services.

We had a large villa in Herne Bay that had been converted to an “apartment house” in the 1940s and then into flats in the 1980s. 

Following a complaint from a neighbour, the Council served an abatement notice on us requiring us to convert it back into a single dwelling.

We engaged Iain to investigate whether there was anything we could do to keep the property in its present form. He was worth his weight in gold. 

Iain researched the Council’s property file, archives and valuation records and the historic district plans and bylaws to piece together a picture of what happened when, and whether it was legal. 

This was by no means an easy exercise, however, Iain’s exceptional knowledge and perseverance won the day and he proved the property had been legally converted first to an apartment house and then to flats.  As a result, he was able to secure confirmation of existing use rights for us.

Iain was a pleasure to work with and I have no hesitation in recommending him as a highly professional, diligent and capable town planner.

Iain McManus from Civitas was recommended to the Catholic Diocese of Auckland by an icon in the field of planning and resource management, Alan Bradbourne. 

The decision to work with Iain has been a particularly rewarding one.  He has been providing planning consultancy services to the Diocese on numerous projects since 2003 and we are very happy with the service provided.

Always composed in a public forum, Iain upholds the highest possible standards for his profession.  Iain has strong relationships in the planning and resource management arena.  He has an extensive network of industry contacts, from lawyers to architects and engineers, all of whom he works very well with.  At the Diocese, Iain provides an element of clarity in an area that can often be challenging to comprehend.  His responses are considered and forthright, and he provides leadership for the Diocese in the area of planning and resource management.

St Mark's Catholic Parish has found Iain to be a very professional, competent planning consultant, and a very nice man to deal with.  He has provided us with excellent service, his presentations have been accurate and articulate and he has always done what he said he would do.  I highly recommend Iain to anyone who is considering the resource consent process.