Fast-track Approvals process
Find out how to apply for a mining permit under the Fast-track approvals process.
The Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 (the Act) was passed by Parliament in December 2024. It provides an efficient and streamlined decision-making process for projects of regional and national significance.
This means that those eligible to use the Fast-track process can seek multiple approvals to extract minerals or resources through a one-stop shop, making it a faster and more efficient process.
Those eligible can apply for a mining permit under the Fast-track process from 7 February 2025.
Note that pre-lodgement consultation must occur before you apply. You can read more about this in the section titled ‘Steps to apply for a mining permit under the Fast-track process’.
The Fast-track process is administered by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible to use the Fast-track process to apply for a mining permit for 1 or more deposits of 1 or more minerals, you must:
- hold an exploration permit relating to those minerals issued under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (CMA), or have an existing privilege as defined in the CMA, such as a mining licence
- have more than three months remaining on your exploration permit, or existing privilege, before it expires, when applying for a substantive application
- be applying for an area of land that is within, or the same as, the area of land to which those exploration permits, or existing privileges, apply
- propose that those exploration permits, or existing privileges, be surrendered in relation to the area of land over which the approval is sought
- propose that the term of the approval is no more than 40 years.
You must ensure that your application does not include an activity that will make it ineligible. Read about the meaning of an ineligible activity in the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 on the New Zealand Legislation website.
Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 — New Zealand Legislation
Options for applying for a mining permit
You have two options for applying for a mining permit. You can either:
- apply for a mining permit and multiple approvals under the Fast-track process, or
- apply for a mining permit under the existing CMA process and apply for other approvals either through the Fast-track process, or through existing relevant regulatory processes.
Read more about applying for a minerals mining permit and applying for a petroleum mining permit under the CMA process on our website.
Apply for a minerals mining permit
Apply for a petroleum mining permit
Costs for using the Fast-track process
The Fast-track process is a user-pays system, meaning that we recover costs for the time New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZP&M) staff spend providing advice on Fast-track mining permit applications.
Fees
You will be required to pay the following fees:
- Pre-lodgement consultation fee. NZP&M will invoice you for this fee.
- Application fees. The EPA will invoice you for these fees. Read more about these on the Fast-track website.
Fees are set to cover the actual and reasonable costs associated with processing each application. The fee is charged on an hourly rate (excluding GST) and the amount depends on the expertise of the NZP&M staff member assessing the application.
We will consider efficiency and cost effectiveness when allocating staff members.
The fee covers direct, indirect and overhead costs. Direct costs account for approximately 60% of the total fee and include staff costs for time spent working on the applications. Indirect and overhead costs account for approximately 40% of the total fee and include systems and information costs required to support the Fast-track process.
The table below sets out the fees.
| Role | Fee |
|---|---|
| Manager | $333.00 |
| Team Leader, Principal Advisor | $220.00 |
| Senior Advisor | $187.00 |
| Advisor | $138.00 |
| Administrator | $108.00 |
How to apply for a mining permit under the Fast-track process
Follow the steps below to prepare and submit your application.
- Pre-lodgement consultation:
Once you have started getting your application ready, contact NZP&M to arrange a pre-lodgement consultation meeting. At the meeting, you will have a chance to talk about your project and NZP&M staff will explain the process and timeframes in detail.
Contact NZP&M by emailing nzpam@mbie.govt.nz
- Submit application:
When your application is ready to submit, visit the Fast-track website where you can read about how to apply.
Note, there are 2 types of applications:
- Referral application – this is for applicants seeking referral for their project into the Fast-track process. The Minister for Infrastructure decides whether eligible projects will be referred to an expert panel for consideration.
- Substantive application – this is for applicants seeking approvals for their project. An expert panel considers the referred projects and those already listed in Schedule 2 of the Act and decides whether the projects are approved and sets any conditions.
Schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 – legislation.govt.nz
Further information
If you have any questions, please contact nzpam@mbie.govt.nz or see the links below:
Fast-track Approval Act 2024 — Environmental Protection Authority
Fast-track approvals process — Ministry for the Environment
Fast-track Approval Act 2024 — New Zealand Legislation
Crown Minerals Act 1991 – New Zealand Legislation