Northland councils want changes as fast-tracked future looms

Northport is considering consenting for its proposed port expansion into Whangārei Harbour being processed under new fast-tracked legislation.

The new Northland expressway, major Northport expansion, Marsden Point oil refinery recommissioning, mooted Kaipara waste to energy plant and Far North iwi housing are among more than a dozen current or potential Te Tai Tokerau infrastructure projects that could be considered under new fast-tracking consenting legislation.

A raft of other major infrastructure projects of regional and national importance could also be up for speedier consenting if the Fast-track Approvals Bill becomes law.

These include Whangārei’s new airport, Far North power generation expansion, Whangārei hospital redevelopment, a Paihia seawall, Oruku conference and event centre, Kaikohe wastewater treatment plant upgrade, Far North iwi housing and mineral exploration.

Whangārei Hospital’s pending multi-million expansion could be a candidate for a fast-tracked Northland project of regional or national importance.

The one-stop shop consenting legislation aims to cut red tape and speed up major projects. The new legislation is expected to be in force at the end of the year.

It has received criticism for bypassing the normal checks and environmental safeguards.

In 2020, the giant 18ha Matawii water storage dam near Kaikohe became New Zealand’s first Covid-19 recovery fast-tracked project.

The legislation will cause significant consenting and planning changes for the region’s councils, and Northlanders.

WHAT DO NORTHLAND’S LEADERS THINK?

Northland’s Local Democracy Reporter Susan Botting has examined what each of the four councils think about the Fast-track Approvals Bill, and what they want changed.

Their submissions about the Bill to the Parliamentary environment select committee earlier this year were among about 27,000 nationally, one of the biggest submission hauls for any piece of New Zealand legislation.

Te Tai Tokerau councils’ submissions were generally in favour of the Bill in principle, but spoke out against a range of potential fishhooks and called for changes to these.

The submissions criticised prohibited projects being allowed under the fast-track process and expressed concerns around tangata whenua involvement. The legislation also needed more balance and local mayors should be part of final decision making on local projects, the submissions said.

The councils also called for boosted cost-recovery so they and their ratepayers did not have to foot extra costs due to fast-tracked projects.

They also wanted up to eight times longer than the Bill’s current 10 days for local authorities to provide project application feedback.

The legislation would effectively give Kerikeri-based Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop final say on projects that currently have to be consented through the Resource Management Act.

WHANGĀREI DISTRICT COUNCIL

The new fast-tracking legislation should consider Northland’s regional priorities, according to Whangārei District Council (WDC).

WDC accepted there was a need to simplify the consents process to “expedite development” and that the current process was inefficient and expensive.

However, the council called for consideration of regional priorities as part of the new process.

It also called for the legislation to consider the council’s infrastructure strategy.

These calls came in WDC’s one-page four-paragraph fast-tracking submission signed by mayor Vince Cocurullo.

WDC also wanted assurance the proposed fast-tracking process would not result in unintended consequences for the environment or sites of cultural significance.

The council said it was important the Bill did not enable unfunded infrastructure provided by a third party or local government.

It wanted direct fast-tracking process communication with relevant councils – along with sufficient response time provided.

“We are confident that if the above concerns are proactively addressed, the Bill will be able to expedite development in a way that benefits all stakeholders of our communities,” the submission said.

The council is calling for fast-tracking consenting to become part of New Zealand’s Resource Management Act (RMA) changes.

WDC said it should be built into this planning tool, rather than being a separate piece of legislation.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.