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Helmut Modlik, Chief Executive Officer of the Cabinet of Ministers.
photo: Ngati Kahongunu Maori Corporation
One of the most vocal critics of the government’s speedy agreement to the legislation praised the coalition for listening and making the changes.
The Alliance Editing the most controversial parts of the billThe bill gives final approval to projects to three ministers.
Ngāti Toa Wellington Earlier this year, he led a parliamentary rally of thousands of people Clearly expressed opposition to this proposal.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik later told RNZ Concentration of power is ‘excessive and dangerous’.
Speaking after announcing the changes on Sunday, Modlick said he was “very pleased” the public had been heard.
“I actually want to thank them for listening. I thought and I think they are working hard to achieve the changes we need in the built environment in a faster and more cost-effective way.
“The balance was not right in the beginning. We spoke up, the nation spoke up, and they listened. So, yes, I want to thank them for that.”
The final decision on the project will now be made by an expert panel, the same approach taken under the previous Labor government’s fast-track process.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the Coalition was always willing to change the system and it was normal parliamentary practice to amend proposed laws.
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“We said we are always open to reasonable changes in legislation, and all legislation is subject to change as it passes through Parliament, or the vast majority of legislation is subject to change.
“We have listened to the concerns of the submitters, who wanted the panel to be the final decision maker.”
Currently, Bishop is the only minister responsible for referring projects to the panel, but he must consult the environment minister and other relevant ministers in the process.
“By the end of this year we will have a one-stop fast-track system in place to make it easier for New Zealanders to build homes, develop mines and create the infrastructure they need,” he said.
But Labor and the Greens are not happy with the revised bill, saying it still allows infrastructure projects to trample on the environment.
Rachel Brooking, Labour’s environment spokeswoman, said: “The purpose of this bill is to facilitate project development and it overrides all other legislation and the environmental protection laws that come with it.”
In May, hundreds of people gathered on the forecourt of Parliament to protest against the fast-track bill.
photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
Green Party environment spokesman Lan Pham said: “The panel follows the same overall objective in the bill, which is to promote development at all costs.”
All parties RNZ spoke to supported moving final decision-making power from three ministers to a panel.
Paddi Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the coalition had no choice but to make changes or face decades of legal action.
“No one wants to be part of a project without knowing the responsibility. If something goes wrong, who is responsible?”
“I think these are things that people who want to do projects want to be clear on and have certainty about.”
The government has not yet revealed which projects have applied to join the system, but said it had received 386 applications.
Of this, 40% was spent on housing and urban development, 24% on infrastructure, 18% on renewable energy, 8% on primary industries, 5% on quarrying and 5% on mining.
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