New one-stop approval system hopes to boost economic progress

Touted as a one-stop shop, the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill was introduced under urgency in March 2024 to try and establish a permanent regime that streamlines the approval process for infrastructure and development projects of significant regional or national importance.

By consolidating multiple approval processes into a single pathway, the Bill (which became the Fast-track Approvals Act in December 2024) seeks to reduce the time and costs associated with consenting, thereby accelerating project implementation. Part of the coalition’s plan for its first 100 days in office, the Act aimed to expedite economic growth and address pressing infrastructure needs.

New Zealand’s existing regulatory framework often requires developers to navigate multiple acts and processes before receiving approval, leading to delays and increased costs. These could include a resource consent, notice of requirement, certificate of compliance, licence, permission, clearance, or other authority. The Act addresses these inefficiencies by creating a single process overseen by independent expert panels.

A wide range of projects were submitted to the joint Ministers and whittled down by an expert panel to 149 projects to be included in the Act that included housing developments, mining operations, road construction, energy generation, and aquaculture initiatives.

The projects were selected through a thorough and robust process which included an open application process run by the Ministry for the Environment, analysis by officials, an independent assessment and recommendations process by an independent Advisory Group, and final decisions by Cabinet.

Of the 149 projects, 98 are located in the North Island with nearly a third of the overall projects being housing and land development. Among the infrastructure projects was one submitted by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), to develop an efficient and reliable connection between Napier and Hastings.

Called the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, the project would improve resilience, capacity and safety. An additional lane will be added in each direction over 24 kilometres to create four lanes within the existing state highway corridor. It includes three to five interchanges and three to four bridge upgrades between Watchman Road and Pakipaki on State Highway 2.

Interestingly, NZTA has 15 approved infrastructure projects on the list, many of which are to develop rapid transit links, develop new corridors to reduce congestion in certain areas, or construct new four-lane dual carriageways.

The Hope Bypass project involves constructing a 4.2km new highway to bypass the Richmond and Hope townships. The objective is to reduce congestion in Richmond, enhance travel efficiency and reliability, and support housing growth in the area. By redirecting traffic away from urban centres, the project aims to improve both safety and accessibility.

Its only multi-region project is called the End of Life Bridges Programme, which would see the government agency replacing eight high priority state highway bridges that are in an ‘end of life’ condition. These bridges have structural issues and risks, and it is more economically viable to replace them than to continue maintenance.

KiwiRail finds its way onto the list with four different projects, including the Lower North Island Integrated Rail Mobility project. It is an upgrade of the existing rail network on the Wairarapa Line between Wellington and Masterton, and on the North Island Main Trunk Line between Wellington and Palmerston North.

The goal is to improve interregional rail services, offering better connectivity, access, capacity, and service efficiency. Rail infrastructure plays a critical role in reducing road congestion and providing sustainable transport options.

Additionally, the Avondale-Southdown Railway will complete a long-planned cross-isthmus rail corridor connecting east-west via Onehunga, creating significant new connectivity, capacity and network resilience. It will provide a new public transport corridor and freight bypass from the inner-city Isthmus and complete the missing limb to Auckland’s heavy rail network.

For a taste of local government initiatives, the list of projects includes the Tokomaru Bay Legacy Landfill Contaminated Land Remediation Project. Located in the Gisborne district, this project entails the removal of a historic contaminated landfill. The site will be remediated and restored to its original floodplain state, addressing environmental concerns and enhancing local infrastructure resilience.

Auckland Transport has three projects approved in its name: Papakura to Pukekohe Route Protection – Four-tracking and Active Mode Corridor; the Airport to Botany Bus Rapid Transit; and the Auckland Level Crossings Removals.

Port of Auckland has its Bledisloe North Wharf and Fergusson North Berth Extension in the list of approved projects. A new 330 metre long by 34m wide reinforced concrete piled wharf structure will be constructed to the northern edge of the Bledisloe Terminal for roll-on/roll-off and large cruise ships.

A 45m long x 34m wide reinforced concrete piled extension will also be added to the length of the existing Fergusson North Berth to accommodate larger container ships; and the port will also establish a new cruise passenger terminal within the ground floor of the existing vehicle handling facility on the Bledisloe Terminal.

Fendering (and other ancillary structures, as required) will be provided around both wharf structures, in a similar manner to that which exists for the balance of the wharves within the Port of Auckland.

Port of Tauranga wasn’t forgotten with two projects in the approved list: the Stella Passage Development and its Capital and Maintenance Dredging Reconsenting Project. The former will extend the Sulphur Point and Mount Maunganui wharves, and carry out the associated reclamation and dredging of the seabed. The latter will remove dredging material from the coastal marine area to deepen, widen and maintain the navigation channels of the Port of Tauranga.

All of these listed projects can apply for a substantive consent application directly to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), instead of the now former multi-approval process. Applications will not be publicly notified and there will be no right to lodge a submission, although affected persons, iwi, and relevant ministers and government departments will be invited to ‘comment’ on the application. There is no requirement to hold a hearing (although an expert panel may choose to do so).

Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Development, says the regions have enormous potential, and the Fast-track projects, freed up from stifling consenting processes, are another “change that is giving them back the wings they deserve”.

“The seven aquaculture and farming projects will strengthen partnerships with iwi to boost Māori development and are expected to have an output of up to 143,000 tonnes per annum.

“There are 43 infrastructure projects that will help to address our infrastructure deficit and, among other benefits, result in at least 180km of new road, rail and public transport routes. Having these projects fast-tracked will mean we can continue moving at pace to deliver a new generation of Roads of National and Regional Significance for New Zealand to support economic growth and get people and freight to where they want to go, quickly and safely. The eight quarrying projects on the list will help to enable these and other future infrastructure projects.

“The 22 renewable electricity projects will help electrify the New Zealand economy, boost energy security and help New Zealand address its climate change goals. New Zealand has abundant renewable energy resources but the planning system puts barrier after barrier in the way of taking advantage of them. Collectively the projects will contribute an additional 3 gigawatts of generation capacity, if all consented. By comparison, Auckland’s historic peak demand is about 2 gigawatts.

“The 11 mining projects will make a major contribution to the Government’s resource objective of doubling the value of our mineral exports to $2 billion by 2035, extracting coal, gold, iron sands and mineral sands. They will deliver measurable benefits to regional and national GDP, highly-skilled and highly-paid jobs in the regions, and other associated benefits like the retention of regional infrastructure.”

Other projects not included on that original list can now make a referral application to the EPA, which will then provide it to the Minister for Infrastructure if it is complete and within the scope of the Act, but they must have significant regional or national benefits.

Minister for RMA Reform Chris Bishop emphasised the economic and infrastructural benefits of the Act, stating that it would “cut through the thicket of red and green tape holding New Zealand back.” He underscored the government’s commitment to facilitating essential infrastructure projects that are crucial for the country’s development.

The Act represents a significant shift in New Zealand’s approach to infrastructure and development consenting processes. While it has garnered support for its potential to expedite essential projects, it has also faced criticism from those concerned about environmental implications and the adequacy of public consultation.

As the Act is implemented, its impacts on New Zealand’s development landscape will continue to unfold. Stakeholders will also closely monitor the effectiveness of the new system in balancing economic progress with environmental stewardship.