Housing and other projects set for faster approvals process

The Government has now launched its Fast-track Approvals regime, which aims to make it quicker and easier to build the projects New Zealand needs to grow its economy.

The Fast-track Approvals Act lists 149 projects with significant national or regional benefits that were recommended for inclusion by an independent advisory group and agreed to by Cabinet. 

“The list of projects spans housing, renewable energy, transport, mining, quarrying and the primary sector – everything we need more of to grow our economy and provide much-needed new jobs for the regions,” Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said.

Some of the projects include:

• A development project consisting of 4,000 to 4,500 homes (Auckland).
• A ring dam storing irrigation water diverted from the Hurunui River (Canterbury).
• A solar farm with 660,000 solar panels (Manawatū-Whanganui).
• A gold mine (Otago).
• An on-land salmon farm and processing facility (Southland).

The owners of these 149 projects can now lodge substantive applications for their projects to be considered by expert panels facilitated by the Environmental Protection Authority. The panels will decide whether projects should be approved; and, if so, whether conditions should be attached to the approvals.

The owners of additional projects can apply for referral to an expert panel.

These applications will go first to Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop for consideration; they will then be opened up to comments from the Environment Minister or any other ministers with relevant portfolios, before Minister Bishop decides whether to approve the fast-tracking of the project.

“The new act helps cut through the thicket of red and green tape and the jumble of approvals processes that has, until now, held New Zealand back from much-needed economic growth,” Minister Bishop said.

“That means we can at last begin to get moving on growing New Zealand’s economy and sorting out our infrastructure deficit, housing crisis and energy shortage, instead of tying essential projects up in knots for years at a time.”