This article was first published by RNZ.

One of the harshest critics of the government’s fast-track consent process praises the coalition for listening and making changes.

The coalition is currently revising the most controversial part of the bill, which gives three ministers final approval authority for projects.

The Ngāti Toa tribe of Wellington led a Hīkoi parliament of several thousand people earlier this year to voice their opposition to the proposal.

Helmut Modlik, chairman of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, later told RNZ that the concentration of power was “excessive and dangerous”.

After the changes were announced on Sunday, Modlik said he was “very pleased” that the public had been listened to.

“I really want to thank them for listening. I felt and still feel that they are trying to implement the necessary changes in the built environment more quickly and cost-effectively.

“And first of all, the balance was not quite right. We spoke, the nation spoke and they listened. So yes, I want to thank them for that.”

The final decision on the projects would now be made by a panel of experts, following the same approach used in the fast-track process of the previous Labour government.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the coalition was always open to regime change and adapting proposed laws was a given in Parliament.

“We have said that we are always open to sensible changes within the legislative framework and that all laws, at least the vast majority, will be changed when they pass through Parliament.

“We listened to the concerns of submitters who wanted the panel to make the final decision.”

Bishop is now the sole minister responsible for referring projects to the expert panel, although he must also consult the Environment Minister and other relevant ministers as part of the process.

“By the end of the year there will be a fast-track centralised process that will make it much easier to build houses, develop mines and create the infrastructure that New Zealand needs,” he said.

But Labour and the Greens are far from happy with the new legislation, saying both sides felt it would allow infrastructure projects to continue to harm the environment.

“The purpose of this Act, which is to support projects, takes precedence over all other legislation and all associated environmental regulations,” said Rachel Brooking, Labour’s environment spokeswoman.

“The expert panel is pursuing the same overarching goal in the draft law, namely to promote development, essentially at any cost,” said Lan Pham, the Greens’ environmental spokesperson.

All parties RNZ spoke to supported transferring final decision-making authority from three ministers to a panel of experts.

Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the coalition had no choice but to make the change or face decades of legal battles.

“Nobody wants to start a project and not know who will be held liable. Who will be responsible if something goes wrong?

“And I think these are all things that even those who wanted to do projects wanted clarity and certainty about.”

The government did not disclose which projects applied to participate in the program, but said 386 applications had been received.

Of this, 40 percent went to housing and urban development, 24 percent to infrastructure, 18 percent to renewable energy, eight percent to primary industries, five percent to quarries and five percent to mining.

– RNZ