Government announces massive new Fast Track list

Sunday, 6 October 2024

The Government has released its long-awaited list of “fast-track” projects designed to massively speed up resource consents up and down the country and get big projects more quickly built.

The list names 149 projects which will be included in the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill which will then go to Parliament's Environment select committee and be reported back by mid-October. Read the full list below.

Once the bill becomes law, the projects listed will then be able to apply to the Environmental Protection Authority, which has an expert panel which will assess each project and apply any relevant environmental protections.

The ministers announcing the new projects, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, hailed the list as a swathe of projects that will help rebuild the economy, fix the housing crisis, improve energy security and close the infrastructure deficit.

The projects spanned the breadth of the economy and nation, with 39 projects based in Auckland and Northland, another 59 in the rest of the North Island, and the remaining 51 in the South Island.

The 149 projects were selected from a list of over 342 applications that an expert advisory panel recommended for inclusion on the list. They include projects from across a wide range of New Zealand’s economy and a number of different sectors.

All told they would represent tens of billions of dollars of investment if built, along with continued economic activity.

Projects include housing developments, aquaculture, mining, infrastructure and transport, and renewable energy.

“The projects have been 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,” Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said.

“As we’ve publicly said before, the Government is also recommending to the Environment Committee that expert panels have the ability to decline approval for projects,” Bishop said.

But the list will not be without controversy or its detractors.

Some of the projects will be welcomed broadly and others will be more controversial, such as seabed mining.

The list also included 19 mining and quarrying projects, allowing for the expansion of existing mines and new work.

Off the coast of Taranaki, the Fast Track Bill would allow trans-Tasman Resources to take 50 million tonnes of iron sands each year as part of a seabed mining operation.

The housing projects alone, if all consented and built, would add 55,000 houses to the housing stock.

The infrastructure projects would add at least 90 kilometres of new highway and 70km of new rail and busway capacity.

As promised by the Government, a swag of renewable energy projects have made the list, including a number of electricity projects including a number of windfarms, hydro developments, nine solar farms.

“The 22 renewable electricity projects will help electrify the New Zealand economy, boost energy security and help New Zealand address its climate change goals,” Bishop said

“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,” he said.

Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said the Fast Track Bill would boost the Māori economy, with at least 15 iwi-led projects on the list. He said that included seven aquaculture projects which could lead to 143,000 more tonnes of seafood being sold each year.