Fast-tracking supermarkets

Changes to the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024

The Government has introduced the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill to make it clear that grocery developments that will improve national or regional competition can access fast-track approval processes.

These changes will be supported by a new Government Policy Statement which describes how a supermarket project could meet the Government's objectives to improve grocery competition. The draft Government Policy Statement outlines what fast-track decision makers must consider when evaluating eligibility for grocery developments. It notes that the Government’s focus is on supporting:

• projects of scale that lessen market concentration
• businesses that can compete with broad product range offerings
• new and innovative business models
• multi-region or multi-site developments
• one-off developments that help directly or indirectly with strengthening competition against the well-established retailers.

These changes are designed to support fast-track consideration of competitor supermarkets, grocery distribution businesses and wholesale infrastructure.

This work is being progressed alongside changes to:

• create a single building consent process for competitor grocery developments
• better enable replication of approved designs through MultiProof - a streamlined process that reduces building consent timeframes by half.

Together, these changes will reduce inconsistencies and improve processes for new nationwide developments and those looking to build at scale.

Next steps

The Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill is now being considered by Parliament and changes are expected to be in place by the end of the year.

Further information

Read the Government’s announcement.

Express lane for new supermarkets underway(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz

Read more about grocery work programme.

Supermarket competition