Fast-track is faster than notified RMA consenting — usually 9 to 12 months versus 18 to 36 months. That speed is real, but it comes with three trade-offs worth understanding before lodging.
1) Cost recovery is higher. EPA fees on a Fast-track application typically exceed council fees on an equivalent RMA consent by a meaningful multiple. For small projects this can flip the math.
2) Submitters are constrained. The Fast-track regime narrows who can submit and on what grounds. For some projects this is the point. For others it raises post-decision political risk that needs to be managed alongside the consent.
3) Cultural and conservation issues do not become easier. They become more concentrated. The substantive package has to be tighter, the cultural impact assessment more robust, the iwi engagement earlier.
For a project that is genuinely of regional or national significance, has clean cultural and environmental groundwork done, and needs a defined timeline for FID or financing — Fast-track is the right pathway. For everything else, it can be expensive theatre.