Legislation aimed at expediting the approval process for infrastructure and development projects is making headlines as Resources Minister Shane Jones discusses the recently revised Fast-track Approvals Bill. Following its report back from a select committee, the bill underwent several significant changes aimed at improving efficiency in project approvals.
Jones indicated that the Cabinet plans to take time to consider the bill further, allowing it to “marinate” for a few weeks, and whether “there’s a case to make further refinements through the committee stage of the house” will be explored. He emphasised that it is uncommon for such legislation not to go through a thorough review process.
The minister expressed confidence that feedback from practitioners experienced in navigating the consent process would lead to enhancements in the bill’s framework.
One of the notable amendments made by the select committee addresses how consent is handled for projects previously declined under fast-track protocols. While some submitters argued that these projects should be entirely ineligible, the committee decided they could be reconsidered, provided that any past decisions and their judicial outcomes are taken into account during referral assessments. This means applicants must disclose any previous evaluations of their projects, including outcomes and reasons for past decisions.
The Auditor-General of New Zealand, John Ryan, has recently initiated an investigation into the management of conflicts of interest by ministers concerning fast-tracked projects under the Fast-track Approvals Bill.
The primary objective of the inquiry is to ensure proper management of conflicts of interest among ministers involved in fast-tracked projects.
In October, the coalition government released a list of 149 projects under consideration for expedited approval. The list also reported projects with potential conflicts of interest. Jones identified a potential conflict with eight projects, while Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop reported one.