A growing revolt from mayors and communities is putting pressure on the government’s fast-track regime, writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.

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The government’s fast-track legislation was designed to remove “unnecessary red tape” and “fix New Zealand’s economy”. But as fast-tracked developments spring up around the country, a growing chorus of mayors and communities are fighting back.

In Auckland, mayor Wayne Brown estimates hundreds of millions of dollars are being lost in development contributions – fees developers normally pay for infrastructure – because fast-track projects skip the usual consenting process, the Herald’s Katie Bradford reported earlier this week. “Growth should pay for the costs of growth and ratepayers should not be forced to subsidise developers,” he said.

But it’s not just the government’s consistent thorn-in-the-side that’s kicking back against the central government. The mayors of Waimakariri and Selwyn have joined Brown in his backlash and Queenstown mayor John Glover has also supported calls for a pause on fast-track housing developments.

Growth paying for growth’

On Monday, infrastructure minister Chris Bishop told RNZ’s Morning Report he cannot legally pause fast-track housing projects, saying that would require a law change. “The fast-track system was designed to facilitate developments that are out of sequence, so the system was working as intended,” he said.

But he acknowledged the concerns and announced changes to the Local Government Act to allow councils to retroactively amend development contributions for out-of-sequence projects. “Growth paying for growth” was a core government philosophy, he said.

The government can (and does) say no

One recent decision in Canterbury might give other mayors some semblance of hope. As reported on RNZ this morning, Bishop recently declined to refer the Pegasus Golf Course redevelopment under fast-track, a decision Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon called “a wonderful win for the community.” The developer had planned to turn the 18-hole course into 1000 homes, but the community rallied, gathering more than 16,000 signatures against the proposal. 

Gordon said the council supported fast-track for complex projects of regional or national significance, but “we do not believe it should provide an alternative pathway for wholesale residential developments that do not recognise and respect locally developed district plans and growth strategies, or are planned for areas that are not suitable for development.”

Cooke also reported that National could benefit from an “accidental” overhang if it lost a significant share of its party vote while retaining a large enough portion of its 41 electorate seats.

Devonport fights back

But the Pegasus decision may be the exception. In Devonport, a large apartment and hotel project has been referred for fast-track assessment despite significant local opposition, Stuff’s Sam Smith reported yesterday. The development, called Devonport Lanes, would include a 50-room hotel and residential apartments up to eight storeys, with buildings reaching 27 metres. Six heritage-listed buildings would be refurbished as part of the project.

Chris Bishop approved the referral, saying it would have “significant regional or national benefits” and generate up to $789 million in GDP over 35 years. Local group Devonport Heritage opposes the fast-track referral, which they say bypasses usual submission rights. The group staged a protest launching red balloons to show the impact of eight-storey buildings, arguing they will “screen” views of the local maunga and “dwarf the historic main street buildings,” Stuff reported.

Developer Peninsula Capital defended its plans, with director Mark Hiddleston telling The Post’s Jonathan Killick that it’s not a simple choice between heritage and development. “We’ve never seen this as a choice between heritage and development. These buildings need a future, not just a past, and that’s what we’re trying to give them,” he said. “Devonport is a fantastic place, but its town centre needs people in it and its beautiful heritage buildings need investment, restoration and ongoing care.”