Minister Jack Chambers
has announced that a new Regulatory Simplification Unit has been set up to support faster delivery of critical infrastructure projects. It comes after the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce found that the pre-planning stage for major infrastructure projects is taking too long.
As part of a roundtable event on the NDP, that the Institute held with members last year, the issue of bottlenecks in the planning of infrastructure projects was discussed. It is encouraging to see items from the
Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan implemented in the first quarter of 2026 – this prioritisation reflects urgency, which is extremely welcome.
The new Regulatory Simplification Unit will:
- Conduct a risk-based review of the current regulatory landscape. This will involve analysing and mapping existing processes and conducting workshops with the bodies involved in consenting, permitting and licensing to identify and remove bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities to enhance cooperation and streamline processes for more effective delivery of the National Development Plan; and
- Focus on simplifying and improving the complex consenting, permitting and licensing systems across critical infrastructure sectors that support housing delivery – energy, transport and water infrastructure.
The establishment of the Unit marks the commencement of Action 9 of the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan, which aims to support the simplification of overlapping and unduly complex regulatory frameworks.
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