Phil Hook, Technical Director of Hydrology at PDP, is someone who leads by doing. With over 12 years in the industry, he has built a reputation for bringing people together, navigating complexity with calmness, and grounding decisions in both science and values. A straight shooter and an outdoorsman, a hunter, surfer, fisher, and duck shooter, Phil’s connection to te ao tūroa shapes the way he thinks about water, land, and responsibility.

“Wai Māori connects everything,” he says. “Ki uta ki tai, from the mountains to the sea, every decision has consequences downstream. Hydrology might be technical, but at its heart it is about balance, understanding systems, and working in a way that respects the whole.”

Seeing the Whole Catchment

Phil’s work at Whangamarino was a turning point. Standing in the wetland, seeing how water, land use, biodiversity, flood protection, and community values all collide, he realised how important it is to step back and see the full picture.

“You cannot treat one issue in isolation. Every catchment holds a story, its pressures, its history, its people. Our job is to understand that story so we can make good decisions.”

To him, good hydrology is not just modelling flows and writing reports. It is understanding context and working in partnership with the people who hold histories and lived experience of the place.

People First: How Phil Leads

For Phil, leadership has never been about hierarchy. “It is not the company you work for, it is who you work with. You stay because of the people and the purpose.”

He believes the future of environmental work depends on consultants who are technically capable and relationally intelligent. “You can be strong technically, but if you cannot build trust or communicate clearly, it all falls over,” he says.

Phil prefers to work kanohi ki te kanohi. “A ten minute kōrero in person can achieve more than a week of emails. You can actually hear people.”

He is consistently one of PDP’s most sought after mentors because he embodies tuākana leadership, steady, approachable, patient, and genuinely invested in helping others grow. “You watch someone new find their feet, whether it is in a project or on the sports field, and that is the moment it all makes sense.”

Strengthening Our Presence in Te Tai Tokerau

Although originally from South Auckland and connected to Waikato, Phil has always been drawn to Te Tai Tokerau. His love for the region and belief in being truly local led him to champion PDP establishing a Whangārei office.

“We needed to be present in the places we serve,” he says. For him, being local is not about compliance. It is about showing up, being available, and building relationships that last.

That presence matters, especially for mana i te whenua. “If you want to work with a community, you cannot fly in and out. You have to stand alongside them.”

Niho Taniwha: Walking the Talk

Phil’s leadership extends beyond hydrology. As Co Chair of Niho Taniwha, PDP’s tangata whenua rōpū, he helps guide the organisation’s huarahi Māori and ensures that te ao Māori is embedded in how PDP shows up, not just spoken about in principles.

For Phil, Niho Taniwha’s role is about mana, relationships, and accountability. “We are putting pou in the whenua,” he says. “The things that keep us grounded. The commitments we stand by long term.”

He is the first to acknowledge that he is still early in his huarahi Māori, but he leans into the discomfort which he believes is where real growth happens. “Vulnerability is part of it,” he says. “Roles and tikanga have to be enacted, not just talked about.”