An expert panel has been appointed to examine the port of Tauranga’s Stella Passage development as part of New Zealand’s fast-track approval process.
New Zealand introduced the Fast-track Approvals Act in 2024 as a mechanism to streamline the system of approving nationally significant infrastructure and development projects.
As part of that process, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPC) has appointed a panel to review the application, commencing September 1, 2025. A decision is expected in late February 2026.
The Stella Passage project involves extending the Sulphur Point container berth by 385 m and the Mount Maunganui wharves by 315 m. The project will also include the associated reclamation of land behind the new wharves and dredging.
One port that is benefitting from the fast-track approval process is the port of Auckland, which recieved provisional approval for its planned Bledisloe and Fergusson North wharf developments, which it described as “the once-in-a-generation infrastructure needed to serve Auckland for decades to come”.
