New Fast-track Approvals Bill criteria still ‘heavily weighted against environment’ – critic

By Kate Green of RNZ Officially recommended changes to the new Fast-track Approvals Bill include giving one minister the ability to nominate projects, and putting the final say on approving them to a panel of experts. But environmental groups say crucial changes to protect the environment are still missing – with one saying this version of the bill is even worse. Parliament’s environment committee released its report on Friday afternoon after receiving 26,855 submissions and hearing 66 hours of feedback in-person and online.

The bill aims to provide a “streamlined decision-making process” to speed up “infrastructure and development projects that offer significant regional or national benefits”..