Fast-track Approvals Act
The Act establishes a permanent fast-track approvals regime for a range of infrastructure and development projects.
Fulltext
Fast-track Approvals Act [New Zealand Legislation]
Status
The Fast-track Approvals Act is now law.
The Fast-track Approvals Act was introduced to Parliament under urgency in March 2024 as part of the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days in office.
The Act was aimed at establishing a permanent fast-track regime that would make it easier and quicker to gain approvals for development and infrastructure projects that would deliver regional and national benefits.
It’s provisions proposed a system that would combine the multiple resource consents, notices of requirement, and certificates of compliance and approvals from the Resource Management Act 1991, and several other Acts (including the Crown Minerals Act, Conservation Act, and Fisheries Act).
This ‘one-stop-shop' approach was intended to make it quicker and easier to get the approvals usually required for large and complex projects.
After its introduction to Parliament and first reading in March, the Bill went to the Environment Select Committee for scrutiny.
Almost 27,000 submissions on the Bill were made between March and April 2024. The Committee heard 794 oral submissions on the Bill in May and June.
The Committee’s report to the House of Representatives was presented on 18 October 2024.
Read the Environment Committee’s report on the Bill [New Zealand Parliament website]
The legislation also includes 149 infrastructure and development projects in Schedule 2 which can apply directly for consideration by an Expert Panel.
The Ministry for the Environment received almost 400 applications between 3 April and 3 May for projects to be listed in the legislation.
The Ministry assessed project applications’ eligibility and completed Treaty Settlement reports before referring 384 applications to an independent Advisory Group.
An independent Advisory Group made recommendations to three joint Ministers on 342 projects the Group considered suitable for inclusion in Schedule 2 of the FTA Bill.
Their report was provided Ministers on 2 August 2024 and proactively released in October 2024.
Read the Fast-track projects Advisory Group report to Ministers [PDF, 3.9 MB]
On 6 October 2024 the Government announced its decision to include 149 projects in the Fast-track Approvals Bill.
See the listed Fast-track projects applications.
Read the list of projects [Beehive website]
The Act is in force on 18 December.
New applicants can apply to the Minister for Infrastructure for referral, and the projects listed in Schedule 2 of the Act can apply for substantive approvals, from 7 February.