AM Edition: Top 10 Economic Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for April 2, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Radio New Zealand

House prices might not rise this year after all, property data firm Cotality says.

It has released its latest data, which shows property values lifted 0.2 percent in March, after the same rise in February.

The median value in March was $802,599, 1.3 percent lower than a year earlier and just over 17 percent down on early 2022.

In the month, both Hamilton and Wellington were down 0.1 percent while Auckland and Tauranga were flat. Auckland’s affordability had improved in recent years as more supply had come on to the market, prices had dropped and incomes had increased.

Christchurch was up 0.6 percent and Dunedin 0.7 percent. Cotality said areas that were benefiting from a positive agricultural sector were seeing stronger growth.

Wellington remained one of the weaker parts of the country, with all of its regions down over the past 12 months and all still more than 20 percent below their peak.

Chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said two months of increases in a row could signal a change in direction for the housing market, but the Iran conflict threw a layer of uncertainty over everything.

He said he had been expecting prices to rise 5 percent this year but that was not as likely any more.

“The chances that things are even weaker get greater and greater the longer this goes on.

“At the moment you’d certainly have to be pegging that back a bit. I see some of the banks are now talking about possibly small falls in average house prices this year and that wouldn’t necessarily surprise me either … we had a relatively modest house price forecast up to 5 percent – you could easily imagine that being down at zero or even slightly negative. That’s despite the fact that mortgage rates are relatively low at the moment.”

He said the factor that was missing for house prices to turn around was confidence.

“There were signs that was starting to come through but now that’s hard to imagine. Your confidence would probably be going the other way, potentially the economy’s going the other way too and potentially mortgage rates are going up. All of those things that might have been falling into place for the housing market are now starting to go back in the other direction again.”

He said while some sellers might not be pleased, it was still good news for buyers provided they felt secure in their jobs.

“In a nutshell, both the economy and housing market still face a testing period ahead.”

Davidson said he did not expect “knee jerk” official cash rate rises but the Reserve Bank was on high alert.

“Global uncertainty stemming from the Iran conflict and concerns about wider inflationary pressure have already seen interest rates rise in world money markets, and that’s flowed through to mortgage rate lifts at some NZ banks.

“Many households will be watching that very closely and recent data shows there’s recently been a strong shift by borrowers towards fixing longer.

“That will give some sense of security to individuals, but for the wider housing market the risks of higher inflation, rising interest rates, and/or a softening economy both point to headwinds,” Davidson said.

“Indeed, our modelled forecast for property sales to rise from around 90,000 last year to 100,000 this year is starting to look a stretch. In the end, though, everything is a watching brief at the moment when it comes to the economy and housing market.”

He said households might not want to list their homes for sale in an uncertain environment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Pharmac needs more staff and a bigger operational budget to speed-up decisions on drug funding, say patient advocates.

In a report released today, the agency has been criticised for a focus on cost efficiency over health outcomes, and for slow decision-making and backlogs.

The report – written by Patient Voice Aotearoa and Medicines New Zealand and titled “Valuing Life – Medicines Access Summit 2025 Report” – is based off the findings of a two-day hui at Parliament in October last year.

Hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Health responsible for Pharmac David Seymour, the event brought together 180 people, including patient groups, clinicians, government officials, academics, and pharmaceutical industry representatives for a series of panels and workshops.

The report highlighted progress and persistent gaps in the country’s medicines system, noting “while some progress has been made, delivery remains uneven” and several foundational reforms “have not been started or addressed fully”.

Key findings highlighted in the report include:

• Progress is fragile without political leadership and accountability
• New Zealand continues to lag behind OECD peers
• Pharmac continues to be greatly underfunded
• Patients’ groups and clinicians are calling for a system that values timeliness, transparency, and lived experience
• Global pressures are reshaping medicines access
• A call for partnership and long‑term reform

Patient Voice Aotearoa chair Dr Malcolm Mulholland said two thirds of those recommendations had seen progress made since the summit, but a third were yet to see action.

Mulholland is also the chair of the consumer and patient working group, which was set up last year to work alongside Pharmac’s board overseeing a 12-month reset programme currently underway, which is aimed at making Pharmac more open and responsive.

“[Pharmac] are going to need a bigger a bigger operations budget to do a lot of the work around the health technology assessment,” he said.

“If we’re looking to speed it up, ultimately they are going to need more staff in those positions, so that’s why the operations budget is so important.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis referred questions to Seymour’s office.

Seymour said while it was still a work in progress, for the first time in years Pharmac was “genuinely moving in the right direction”.

“We’ve given patients a stronger voice, appointed a consumer working group, and made Pharmac more transparent. We will continue to push Pharmac in the direction the patient community wants.

“Five years ago many of the Medicines Summit attendees would have been picketing outside Pharmac. This year, they were having genuine conversations with each other and Pharmac’s leadership about how to deliver the best service for Kiwis.”

This government had allocated a budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift.

“With that money, Pharmac has made 133 decisions to fund or widen access to medicines. This includes decisions on 46 cancer medicines. Over 200,000 patients have benefited.”

Pharmac chief executive Natalie McMurtry said Pharmac had appreciated the opportunity to attend the summit for the past two years, and it had provided an invaluable opportunity to hear first-hand from patients, advocates, suppliers and clinicians.

Since then, they had recruited more health economists to increase Pharmac’s capacity to assess funding applications, she said, and were trailing faster, more efficient assessment pathways which were showing early signs of success.

“We are also exploring how adopting a societal perspective can help us better demonstrate the value of new treatments, particularly when considering significant investments.

“Recently, we launched a review of our Exceptional Circumstances Framework, which allows Pharmac to consider funding medicines for certain individuals in special or exceptional clinical situations.”

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MIL OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

Employers might be being encouraged to let people work from home if they are struggling with fuel costs, but not everyone hopes they heed the message.

As fuel costs have risen in recent weeks, unions have called on organisations such as banks to be more flexible with staff wanting to skip the commute.

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said that should be done carefully.

“This is an economic issue, not a health issue. The work from home edict [during Covid] came about because there were concerns that ongoing engagement and connection with people could cause harm to people’s lives.

“We’re not in that situation, this is quite a different situation. The economic situation would be worse if people don’t come into towns and cities across the country. If people stop coming into town they stop buying. Eighty-five percent of sales are done in person, in store, people in town. They’re walking past shop windows, they’re seeing items they might need.”

The increased prevalence of working from home through Covid has been credited with changing the makeup of some central business districts around the country.

Young previously told RNZ that she worried that foot traffic levels might never return to where they were, for some businesses.

But Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said consumer confidence more generally was likely to be more of a concern for retailers than whether people were working from home.

When people were at home, their spending tended to drift more to food-related items, he said. The pattern of spending could be affected, but the total amount would not be.

“I don’t think it’s a full and complete view that people only spend when they’re working in town and don’t spend otherwise.”

But he said the wider economic environment had more potential to dent total spending. “The wider impact of having to spend more on fuel, people are more worried about the economy, that will drive overall spending down. If we see spending activity drop it won’t be because people are working from home, it will be because people are paying more for fuel and worried about their financial lives.”

Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said it would make it harder for CBD retail. “But past experience suggested that there were flows of business to suburban shops and cafes when WFH was more prominent. I would expect the same dynamics again.”

‘Big hit coming through on households’ disposable income’

BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said it would add to all the other headwinds on spending at the moment.

“Chief among them is the big hit coming through on households’ disposable income from the fuel cost spike. Cuts are being made to discretionary spending already. But there’s also a potentially weaker labour market and reduced job security to contend with, broader cost of living pressures, and reduced tourism spending. It’s shaping up as a big hit and consumers are feeling it, as we saw from last week’s slump in consumer confidence.”

But Young said going back to isolating at home would not be a solution to an economic crisis.

“That creates another beast in itself and it multiplies the impact of the inflationary measures if we get to a place where people stop coming into town and they stop buying a coffee and they stop going into the stores to buy things. More businesses will close, which creates greater, you know, demise for the New Zealand economy.”

She said she had seen some positive economic data in the early months of this year and had been hoping that 2026 would be a time of recovery.

“Then of course in March we’ve been hit by this and it feels like another blow and we just can’t seem to get a break.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

• Household living costs about $55 a week higher this year – ASB research report
• About 50 pct higher than might have been because of Middle East conflict
• Higher fuel costs add $16.50 a week
• Flow through to other goods and services, dampening demand, growth, jobs
• Assumes conflict ends mid-year, easier costs by year end

Households face a $55 a week rise in living costs this year partly because of the Middle East conflict, according to ASB economists.

In a research report released Thursday they said the cost of living will be 50 percent higher than it might normally have been, with a direct hit from the rise in fuel costs and indirect increases in the price of other goods and services.

“Overall, the recovery in household consumption we had pencilled in for 2026 now looks to be a 2027 story,” ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said.

He said there was much uncertainty because of the conflict.

“Our central assumption is that the conflict lasts for three months, and that the price impacts last another three months.”

The report said it expected the increase in fuel costs to add $16.50 a week directly to living costs, with rural communities feeling the pinch harder because of a greater reliance on diesel-fuelled private transport.

It expected not just a drop in spending but also a change in spending habits.

“Typically, during times of financial pressure, households prioritise essential purchases such as groceries, food and beverages, and pharmaceuticals, while reducing spending in other areas.

“This shift in spending patterns is expected to partially offset the overall increase in household expenses.”

The report’s base assumption was that the conflict would last three months to about mid-year, with the biggest impact on spending would be over the next six months before the start of a rebound in the final three months of the year.

Bigger hit to broader economy

The weaker domestic demand was also expected to affect other parts of the economy.

“Given that the conflict in the Middle East is also likely to impact economic growth, we see downside risks to household consumption via both the wealth and labour market channels as well,” Tuffley said.

That would also mean a brake on house prices and job creation.

The temporary increase in the base rate of the in-work tax credit for working about 143,000 families was expected to have only limited impact.

The report said the lift in living costs and its effect on consumer spending was a double edged sword for the Reserve Bank.

“The resultant weakness in domestic demand should help keep a lid on inflation, but it also makes the [Reserve Bank’s] job harder, as weaker growth and rising prices are pulling in opposite directions.”

It was still holding to a forecast of a 25 basis point rise in the official cash rate in December to 2.5 percent, but was watching the risk that the RBNZ may have to raise sooner and more aggressively because of medium-term inflation pressures.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Just under 5700 people have had their KiwiSaver contribution rates reduced, meaning they will not be paying the new default rate of 3.5 percent.

For pay processed on or after April 1, the default contribution rate has lifted from 3 percent to 3.5 percent, as part of a staged process to lift both to 4 percent in 2028.

Contribution rates increased unless people were already paying a higher level, or they had applied to Inland Revenue for a temporary reduction in their contribution rate, which their employer could then match.

Inland Revenue said, as of Tuesday, 5696 people had their contribution rate reduced, and this number could still grow.

Dean Anderson, founder of Kōura, said it was less than a quarter of 1 percent of the active KiwiSaver members.

“I’m not sure how many Kiwis were actually fully aware of the changes that were coming. I think the real awareness will kick in when the next payslip arrives and people notice a slightly smaller deposit in their bank accounts.

“This may catch out those on total remuneration contracts or anyone managing a strict budget based on their usual cash in hand. I encourage everyone to pay close attention to their payslips over the next month to ensure their employer has applied these changes correctly.”

Rupert Carlyon, founder of Kōura, said he was not surprised at the number.

“I don’t think people realise what is happening or how they can get out of the change.

“We have sent out four different emails saying that this is coming – but haven’t had any feedback at all or questions on it which is really surprising.

“I wonder whether employers have been communicating with their employees, it is at this level that more probably needs to be done rather than through the KiwiSaver providers.”

The government earlier estimated a working parent, with a starting income of $60,000 at 25, two children, who took one year of parental leave and who withdrew all their savings at 30 to buy a home, would end up with just over $500,000 in their account at 65 with the new contribution rates, compared to just under $400,000 previously.

A high-income earner would get 28 percent more and a low-income earner 21 percent.

Jessica McLean, chief operating officer at PaySauce, said employers had been confused about how the change was happening.

“What we have seen is a huge influx of support volume over the last couple of days about things like ‘the new rate is applying already but it shouldn’t, it’s from the first of April’ but you’re paying it on the first of April so it applies, it doesn’t matter that you’re paying them for time in March it’s based on a payday…. Then they want to change the payday to March and we have to say no then your employees will end up with a tax bill because you’re going to ram another period into the financial year. They’re in a big flap about it.”

She said it was hard for employers who were paying total remuneration packages.

This means they set aside an amount to pay staff and both the employer and employee contribution comes from that.

“If the KiwiSaver rate goes up the money has got to come from somewhere. Either the employer’s got to cover it or it’s coming out of the employee’s net pay.”

She said some employers were willing to absorb the cost to ensure their employer did not have to cover the whole increase.

Some employers had also asked whether they could negotiate a temporary rate reduction on employee’s behalf, she said. “It’s got to be employee-led… but I think there’s this narrative that small employers are always trying to pay people the least they possible can and I don’t think that’s true. I think most of them are fine with the change.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A financial services dispute service says it has dealt with two cases recently in which large sums of money have gone missing when people tried to send them overseas.

In one case dealt with by Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), a man aged in his 90s tried to transfer US$12,000 via an international money transfer service to his son’s overseas bank account.

When the money did not arrive, the man realised he had entered the wrong routing number for the payment and had used the number for the money transfer service’s intermediary bank rather than his son’s bank.

The account number itself was correct.

The money transfer service asked for a “recipient bank statement” which could not be provided because the son had not received the money.

It was not until 10 working days after the man reported the error that the money transfer service attempted to recall the funds, FSCL said.

The service said that gave an opportunity for money sent to incorrect account details to bounce back and be returned without a recall being needed.

The overseas bank did not respond to the recall request.

The man’s son repeatedly tried to contact it but was told it could only provide information to the money transfer service.

When the service tried again to recall the money, the bank did not respond.

At that point, the man complained to FSCL, which reviewed the complaint and found the money service’s terms and conditions stated customers must provide correct payment details.

“If incorrect details are provided, the money transfer service is not responsible for money sent to the wrong recipient, and is only required to make reasonable efforts to recover the funds.”

FSCL agreed the service should have tried to recall the money earlier.

It said it could have been more helpful but it took reasonable steps to try to recover the money.

“The lack of response from the overseas recipient bank was not within their control.”

It said the service should pay the man $1000 for non-financial loss.

FSCL ombudsman Susan Taylor said she had another case in recent days in which a person was transferring money to a travel payment card and got the last two numbers the wrong way around.

That sent the money to another customer’s account.

“The other customer was based in Australia, and unfortunately he didn’t notice for two days that the money hadn’t appeared on his card account.

“By that time, by the time his own bank tried to recall the money, the person in Australia had withdrawn all the money and neither the bank nor the money transfer service were able to get it back.

“It was $100,000, so it was a huge loss. We just try to give the message all the time, it’s tragic when you see these cases, and it often is simple human error where even if you’re in a hurry, just slow down and check, double check, triple check that you’ve got all of those numbers right before you press the send button.”

She said in the first case, the money went to an American bank. “A person from New Zealand trying to deal with a massive overseas bank … who knows whether the money is sitting in an account there – the chance of the customer being able to get any traction with a large overseas bank is extremely low.”

Taylor said if people noticed something was wrong, they should get in touch with their bank or money transfer service as soon as possible. “There is a very limited window of time that the bank or money transfer service can act to recall the money. It’s important that you act really quickly.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A return trip between Auckland and Whangārei could cost drivers $14.20 in tolls, if a proposal for the planned Northland Expressway goes ahead.

That means commuters travelling daily between Northland and the country’s biggest city would pay around $3400 a year in tolls.

The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is currently consulting on tolls for the planned Warkworth to Te Hana section of the Northland Corridor, which is to be built as a public-private partnership (PPP) under the government’s Roads of National Significance programme.

The proposal is for two electronic toll gates on the 26km stretch of expressway, the southern one charging $3 and the northern one $1.50.

The Northern Gateway motorway, from the North Shore to Pūhoi, already charges a toll of $2.60.

Added to the new tolls, that would make a total of $7.10 each way or $14.20 return between Auckland and the Northland border.

Trucks would pay $6 and $3 on the new expressway and $5.20 on the Northern Gateway, adding up to $14.20 each way or $28.40 return.

For Anna Giddens – who lives in Mangawhai but works four days a week at the University of Auckland, it could mean around $2600 a year in tolls – if she had to pass through all three electronic gates.

If she could avoid the northernmost toll gate she would still pay $2100 a year.

“Obviously it’s an added cost. It just seems like everything keeps going up, it would be added on top of everything else.”

Giddens said she would have to absorb the extra cost herself, but it would not be “a deal breaker” that would force her to quit her Auckland job.

“It’s not ideal, but I could cope with it. But I can imagine it could affect some people more.”

She said it would also affect businesses using the highway, which would have to pass the extra costs onto customers.

Giddens questioned the equity of requiring Northlanders to pay tolls while other recently completed roads – such as the Waikato Expressway and Transmission Gully, both of which cost more than $2 billion – were toll-free.

“I understand that the cost of this is incredibly high. It’s probably the highest cost for a road construction project in this country ever, and I guess we don’t have the money. But it does seem disproportionate that the North is being tolled, compared to other parts of the country.”

Giddens said the answer for her would be to find work closer to home, but that was not easy in the current job market.

In any case, she did not have to worry about paying the extra tolls anytime soon – work on the first section of the expressway was due to start at the end of this year, and was expected to open around 2034.

The consultation document showed the new tolls could be levied for either 35 or 60 years.

Automobile Association senior policy analyst Sarah Geard said equity was one of the issues members raised most often about the tolling proposal – especially given Northland’s low median income.

Only two other roads were currently tolled in New Zealand, both in Tauranga.

“A point to make here is that in 2024 the government instructed NZTA that they do need to consider tolling on every new road … so we expect that will be the norm from this point.”

Geard said the AA was open to tolling if it meant new roads would be built sooner.

“And that means people who choose to use the road will benefit earlier than they otherwise would. I also note that under legislation, there must always be a feasible, untolled alternative route available to people who don’t want to use the toll roads, so that’s always an option,” she said.

“But we’re very mindful that tolls do mean extra cost to motorists, and we recognise there is already a toll road between Auckland and Whangārei.”

Geard said the AA had yet to decide its position on the Warkworth to Te Hana proposal.

The organisation was still working through information from NZTA to understand why the proposed toll was $4.50, why it was split into two tolls of differing amounts, and how the tolls would affect the number of vehicles using the new road.

New Zealand’s trucking industry also supported tolling if it sped up roading projects – but had reservations about the details of the Warkworth to Te Hana plan.

Paula Rogers, commercial transport specialist for the National Road Carriers (NRC), said about 1000 heavy trucks travelled between Auckland and Northland every day, transporting everything from food and fuel to logs and building materials.

She said the industry was pleased the new route would bypass Dome Valley, which was notorious for crashes and delays.

If tolling brought forward the project and its safety and efficiency benefits, that was a positive for all road users, Rogers said.

However, NRC had concerns about the methodology used to arrive at a toll of $9 for heavy vehicles.

Including the existing toll, that added up to $28.40 per return trip.

“Given the high frequency of freight movements along this corridor, these cumulative costs become significant for transport operators and are ultimately passed through to customers and the wider economy.”

Rogers said NRC wanted greater transparency around how NZTA had arrived at the proposed tolls, and whether the cumulative impact of multiple tolls on freight costs had been considered.

According to the NZTA’s consultation documents, the new Warkworth-Te Hana road would shave 7-10 minutes off travel times compared to the existing road.

It would also reduce the number and severity of crashes, especially in the Dome Valley, which was known for its “safety and resilience challenges”.

NZTA said tolling would allow the PPP to get started sooner, and free up money for other roading projects.

The reason for proposing separate toll points north and south of the Wayby Valley interchange was to make it fairer – motorists would pay according to how much of the new road they used – and to prevent congestion caused by large number of drivers diverting onto free local roads.

The new road would run west of and parallel to Dome Valley, before crossing the existing State Highway 1 and passing east of the notorious summer chokepoint at Wellsford.

It would rejoin the existing highway at Te Hana, just south of the Northland border and about 20km south of the Brynderwyn Hills.

The existing section of State Highway 1 would be reclassified as a local road and would be free to use.

Eventually two more sections of Northland Expressway would be built, from Te Hana over the Brynderwyns to Port Marsden Highway, and from Port Marsden Highway to Whangārei.

Each section was expected to have its own tolls.

The tolls being consulted on are based on 2025 prices, so could be adjusted for inflation.

NZTA documents show the Northern Gateway, which opened in 2009, is expected to be tolled until about 2045.

Public consultation on the Warkworth to Te Hana proposal runs until 15 April.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government will put more than $20 million towards additional diesel storage capacity at Marsden Point.

The arrangement – funded through the Regional Infrastructure Fund – will support 90 million litres of storage at the import and storage terminal by recommissioning storage tanks that have been unused since the closure of the refinery in 2022.

Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones said the tanks could hold around eight days’ supply, and refurbishment work was expected to begin within days.

“This is an ambitious but do-able project which will help ensure New Zealand is well-placed to weather the fuel supply issues New Zealand faces,” he said.

He had been assured by Channel Infrastructure, which owned and operated Marsden Point, that it could get the tanks ready within two months.

“While we are acutely aware of the importance of petrol and jet fuel, it is diesel that is the lifeblood of our economy. We know we have a secure supply until the end of May,” Jones said.

“If the opportunities arise for New Zealand to secure diesel supplies over and above what we are expecting, we need to be able to store it.”

RNZ reported last week that the government had received a proposal to boost storage at Marsden Point, with Jones wanting advice back as soon as possible.

At the time, Channel Infrastructure had told him there was potential to store 350 million litres of imported oil, on top of the 300 million litres of storage already in service.

The $21.6m support has been found through projects that had been approved in principle, but were not likely to go ahead.

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Source: New Zealand Government

Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project. 

Contact Energy lodged a substantive application for the Southland Windfarm in August 2025. The proposed wind farm will be developed across 58km² of privately owned land in eastern Southland, about 30km southeast of Gore.

“Approval has taken around 5 months following the commencement of an expert panel,” Mr Bishop says.  

“This project, with national benefits, will significantly increase the amount of power supplied to the national grid.

“The wind farm will generate up to 380 megawatts (MW) and provide power for up to 150,000 households and includes 55 wind turbines, each up to approximately 7MW in capacity.

Mr Jones said the project would inject $13.5 million into the local economy and create up to 300 jobs during construction. Once commissioned, it would employ about 10 to 14 full-time equivalent staff to operate the wind farm. 

“The real significance of this infrastructure lies in the ability to unlock further investment and attract new industry to the region. 

“The Fast Track process is about cutting through unnecessary delays to unlock the projects that matter. It gives regions the certainty and momentum they need to create jobs and drive long-term economic growth.” Mr Jones said.

Energy Minister Simon Watts says the project will make a significant contribution to New Zealand’s energy future.

“As New Zealand’s biggest windfarm to date, the Southland project will play an important part in achieving this Government’s vision of reliable, affordable and abundant energy supply for New Zealanders,” Mr Watts says.

“More generation in the system will help keep downward pressure on prices and shore up security of supply.”

“In addition to the turbines, a wind farm substation, and access roads, the project’s second major component involved grid connection work – including constructing the transmission lines needed to connect the wind farm to the Transpower National Grid,” Mr Bishop says. 

“It’s worth noting this project, in an earlier form, was previously declined resource consent after years of process, largely due to concerns about landscape and visual effects on the surrounding rural environment. 

“That is exactly the kind of outcome New Zealanders have been frustrated with, where projects of clear national benefit get tied up or turned down after long, uncertain processes. 

“Fast-track is changing that by providing a more balanced, timely, and effects-based pathway to get critical infrastructure like renewable energy projects built.”

For more information about the project: Southland Wind Farm 

Fast-track by the numbers: 
•    15 projects approved by expert panels. 
•    22 projects with expert panels appointed. 
•    43 projects currently progressing through the Fast-track process. 
•    39 projects have been referred to Fast-track by the Minister for Infrastructure. 
•    149 projects are listed in Schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act, meaning they can apply for Fast-track approval. 
•    On average, it has taken 128 working days for decisions on substantive applications from when officials determine an application is complete and in-scope. 
Fast-track projects approved by expert panels: 
•    Arataki [Housing/Land]  
•    Bledisloe North Wharf and Fergusson North Berth Extension [Infrastructure]  
•    Drury Metropolitan Centre – Consolidated Stages 1 and 2 [Housing/Land] 
•    Drury Quarry Expansion – Sutton Block [Mining/Quarrying] 
•    Green Steel [Infrastructure] 
•    Homestead Bay [Housing/Land] 
•    Kings Quarry Expansion – Stages 2 and 3 [Mining/Quarrying] 
•    Maitahi Village [Housing/Land] 
•    Milldale – Stages 4C and 10 to 13 [Housing/Land] 
•    Rangitoopuni [Housing/Land] 
•    Southland Wind Farm [Renewable energy]
•    Sunfield [Housing/Land] 
•    Tekapo Power Scheme – Applications for Replacement Resource Consents [Renewable energy] 
•    Takitimu North Link – Stage 2 [Infrastructure] 
•    Waihi North [Mining/Quarrying] 
 
Expert panels have been appointed for: 
•    Ashbourne 
•    Ayrburn Screen Hub  
•    Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project  
•    Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project
•    Central and Southern Block Mining Project
•    Delmore
•    Haldon Solar Farm 
•    Hananui Aquaculture Project 
•    Kaimai Hydro-Electric Power Scheme 
•    Lake Pūkaki Hydro Storage and Dam Resilience Works 
•    Mahinerangi Wind Farm 
•    North West Rapid Transit
•    Pound Road Industrial Development 
•    Ryans Road Industrial Development 
•    State Highway 1 North Canterbury – Woodend Bypass Project (Belfast to Pegasus)
•    Stella Passage Development
•    The Downtown Carpark Redevelopment – Te Pūmanawa o Tāmaki Haldon Solar Farm 
•    The Point Mission Bay 
•    The Point Solar Farm 
•    Waitaha Hydro 
•    Waitākere District Court – New Courthouse Project
•    Wellington International Airport Southern Seawall Renewal 

MIL OSI