The final decision rests with the expert panel, which Bishop said is equivalent to the fast-track procedure used by the previous Labour government.

Expert panels would need to include experts in environmental issues, but only where required by treaty arrangements would iwi authorities be involved. They would also include experts in Māori development and Te Ao Māori, rather than Mātauranga Māori.

Applicants must provide information about previous decisions on a project, including court decisions.

Bishop said the proposed changes had been approved by Cabinet and communicated to the select committee examining the bill, which would decide whether to include the changes in the bill.

Bishop also provided a breakdown of the 384 projects that applied for inclusion in the bill.

This breakdown showed that 40% were housing and urban development projects, while only 5% were mining projects.

Infrastructure projects accounted for 24%, renewable energy projects 18%, basic industry projects 8% and quarry projects 5%.

Bishop said the high level of interest in the applications showed that a streamlined process was needed.

“New Zealand has a housing crisis, a massive infrastructure deficit and very ambitious climate targets. The accelerated processes will be a big step forward for both the government and the private sector in addressing these three challenges.”

The independent advisory group had submitted a report to ministers with recommendations on projects that should be included in the bill. Cabinet will consider these in the coming months. They will then be included in a document that will be presented to Parliament when the Fast Track Approvals Bill returns to Parliament later this year.

Earlier this year, groups ranging from miners and developers to iwi and local authorities were asked to submit proposals for inclusion in the bill, with submissions due by May.

The task of the independent advisory group was to draw up a list of projects to be included in one of the annexes to the bill, with the final decision then being taken by ministers.

All three ministers have stated in recent weeks that ministerial powers are an element of the changes they are considering.

Many respondents, including the Auditor General, raised concerns. The Auditor General also expressed concerns about management and transparency regarding actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

Bishop has described the bill as a unified approval system that will ensure major projects important to New Zealand or any of its regions do not get bogged down in approval processes and delays. It will also reduce the $1.3 billion cost of approval paperwork required by the current approvals law.

The bill received around 27,000 public submissions and the select committee is due to present its report in September.

Bishop had previously stated that the government was prepared to make some changes in response to legitimate concerns.