Milldale housing stages have been approved under the Government’s Fast-track system, one year after the process opened for business.

The Milldale Stages 4C and 10 to 13 development is one of nine projects approved nationwide under the Coalition Government’s Fast-track approvals system, which ministers say is already cutting years off infrastructure and housing decisions.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says Fast-track was designed to address long delays that left major projects stuck in process while costs escalated.

He points to the first Fast-track approval, the Ports of Auckland wharf extension, which took 111 days from officials confirming the application was complete to a final decision.

Under standard consenting, the same project was expected to take about five years.

Bishop says faster approvals are not just procedural wins.

He says earlier decisions allow construction to start sooner, bring forward jobs, and deliver infrastructure when it is needed rather than years later.

The Fast-track system brings multiple approvals into a single process, with decisions made by independent expert panels and subject to environmental conditions.

Ministers say the intent is to apply the same level of environmental scrutiny more efficiently, rather than removing safeguards.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says the system is already delivering results, despite early criticism.

He says companies moving through Fast-track report significant savings in time and cost, which can instead be directed into construction activity and employment.

For the Hibiscus Coast, the approval of stages at Milldale represents a direct local outcome.

Across all Fast-track approvals so far, the Government estimates close to 2,000 new homes will be delivered over the life of the approved projects.

Nationwide, nine projects have been approved, with another nine expected to receive decisions before the end of March.

A further 17 projects are currently before expert panels, while 76 projects are progressing through the Fast-track system at various stages.

On average, substantive applications have been decided within 128 days once confirmed as complete and in scope.

Ministers say more housing, infrastructure, and energy projects are expected to move into construction as further decisions are made in the coming months.

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