FAQ
Common questions, honest answers.
If your question isn’t here, email us or use the quote form.
What is the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024?
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A New Zealand law that creates a single streamlined consenting pathway for infrastructure, housing, mining and renewable energy projects of regional or national significance. An expert panel — not a council — issues the consent.
Is my project on Schedule 2?
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There are 149+ projects listed in Schedule 2 at the time the Act commenced. Many more have since been referred. If your project is not listed, it can apply via a referral application — we run that.
How long does a Fast-track application take?
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Typically 6 to 12 months from start to decision. The compressed timeline is real, but only if the substantive package is consistent on lodgement. Late information requests are usually a symptom of under-coordinated workstreams.
How are you different from a big planning or law firm?
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We are not a planning firm or a law firm. We do not give legal opinions or sign off planning evidence. We project-manage the application end-to-end — pre-lodgement, referral, substantive, panel and conditions — for a flat fee at roughly half the cost of a big firm. Your specialists are still hired alongside us for the technical inputs.
Who do you typically work with?
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Mid-cap developers, in-house teams at capacity, iwi-led commercial entities and counsel-led projects. The common thread is an applicant who needs the coordination done properly without paying partner rates for it.
What does it cost?
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Three models: flat project fee ($80k–$250k), retainer plus success fee ($8–20k/mo + $30–100k), or capped day rate ($1.5–2.5k/day). Specialist consultants are billed separately at their published rates — we never mark them up.
Do you work with iwi and hapū?
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Yes. Cultural impact assessments are scoped in the first month and run in parallel with technical workstreams, not after them. We work with iwi-nominated specialists you select, or recommend cultural impact advisors we already work with if you do not have a relationship.
What happens if the Fast-track regime changes?
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The Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill land mid-2026 and will reshape consenting. Our skill is transferable — running multi-workstream consenting applications is the same discipline under any regime. We are deliberately built to operate inside whatever framework applies.
How do I start?
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Use the quote form to send us your project description. We will come back within one business day with a critical-path programme and a budget band — no obligation.