He was supposed to receive the Alfred O. Glasse award, in recognition of his outstanding services to planning by a non-planner, at the New Zealand Planning Institute’s 2020 conference in March.
Despite the postponement of the conference, the Otago NZPI branch did not want Mr Weatherall to miss out on his time in the limelight.
So they held a special function in Dunedin last night, to celebrate his success and belatedly present the award.
"I’m quietly stunned by this, and hugely appreciative of the local profession for nominating me," Mr Weatherall said.
"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in this part of my professional career. The high spots have far outweighed the low spots in planning.
"It’s a part of life that I’d repeat again, if I started again."
Mr Weatherall has had a 30-year career in local government.
He was a Dunedin city councillor and chaired the vast majority of the council’s resource consent hearings over 15 years.
He was well known for ensuring all submitters had a chance to speak.
Mr Weatherall later became a Resource Management Act commissioner for the DCC.
He has spent many hours of his own time assisting those on the Master of Planning course at the University of Otago.
NZPI Otago branch chairman Darryl Sycamore said he was delighted the Otago membership could show their appreciation for Mr Weatherall’s contribution to the city.
