Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill
This bill changes the rules around how big infrastructure and development projects get fast-tracked through the approval process in New Zealand. It makes it clearer that new grocery stores can use this faster approvals pathway, which could help bring more competition to the supermarket industry. It also makes a lot of technical tweaks to speed up the overall process — cutting some timeframes, reducing paperwork, and fixing unclear wording — so projects can get approved more quickly overall.
What this affects
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The bill makes it easier and faster for new grocery stores to get resource consents, which could help more supermarkets open and bring prices down for shoppers.
the Minister may consider whether the project will promote competition in the grocery industry
the Government's request for information process revealed that one barrier to entry into the grocery sector was the uncertainty that these types of projects may be referred based on improving market competition
New Zealand consumers spend more on groceries than consumers in Australia and the UK do, with New Zealand's grocery expenditure the fifth highest per capita in the OECD
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Environment Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 16 November 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.