Source: Radio New Zealand
A Select Committee review of the EPA reveals that, between December 2024 and December 2025, 49 applications were lodged. RNZ
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has admitted that the costs of running the government’s fast-track process are ”well in excess” of what it expected.
The agency was granted a $10 million Crown loan for the set-up costs associated with running the process.
The loan term was for five years and the EPA had said it would need 50 applications a year until 2029 for it to pay the loan back.
A Select Committee review of the EPA reveals that, between December 2024 and December 2025, 49 applications were lodged.
The report said that ongoing operational costs were recovered by charging applicants a levy and application fee.
”The intention is for the regime to be cost-neutral, so that operational costs are entirely recovered from applicants. Applicants cover actual and reasonable costs incurred by government agencies, local authorities, panel conveners, and expert panels.”
The EPA told Select Committee members that that operational costs were “well in excess of what we first modelled”.
“‘The EPA said that, initially, costs incurred by agencies, local authorities, and expert panels for each application were projected to be around $250,000, whereas now it estimates some applications to incur costs of more than $500,000.”
Some Select Commitee members had heard that some councils felt unable to pass the application fee on to applicants.
“Consequently, councils have absorbed some of the costs. The EPA commented that it has seen councils taking time to adapt to the fast-track regime, and that they are often still approaching applications as if they were under the Resource Management Act 1991,” the report said.
“The EPA told us it has had “reasonably tense” conversations with some councils encouraging them to pass costs on.”
The EPA was approached for comment.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
