National's Chris Bishop (left) and Labour's Chris Hipkins didn't hold back from criticising each other when discussing the fast-track regime. Image / NZME
National's Chris Bishop (left) and Labour's Chris Hipkins didn't hold back from criticising each other when discussing the fast-track regime. Image / NZME
Labour would make changes but not repeal National’s fast-track legislation if it got into Government at the next election, leader Chris Hipkins confirmed this afternoon.
Hipkins was drawn to outline the party’s position after National’s infrastructure spokesman Chris Bishop accused the party of flip-flopping on the policy, which is designedto accelerate the consenting process for certain infrastructure projects.
Bishop pointed to a social media post by the “Taranaki – King Country Labour” group that said Labour would repeal the legislation if it got into Government next. Bishop questioned why the post has since been deleted and if that meant Labour supported National’s version of the fast-track rules.
“If Labour does now support fast-track, why did their MPs march against it? If the position has changed to only amending fast-track, what are the amendments, which projects would be excluded and how many jobs would that affect?
“Labour and Chris Hipkins cannot get their story straight on infrastructure and have proven over several years they are incapable of delivering it.”
Rail Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Chris Bishop announcing $600 million in Government funding to help upgrade the country's rail services in May. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Hipkins told the Herald the social media page was not an official party page and the post was “just someone’s reckons” to a community group of Labour people.
The post was not an accurate reflection of what Hipkins had said at the meeting and a request to take it down had been made on that basis.
“Chris Bishop should spend less time scrolling social media and more time doing his job. If he did that, maybe we wouldn’t have 18,000 fewer people working in construction.”
Hipkins said his party’s position on the policy had been consistent.
“We would make changes to reintroduce some of the protections that were in the previous fast-track regime, such as environmental and community participation, that are not in this one.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says his party's position on the fast-track regime has been consistent. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He said before the 2026 general election, Labour would go through the policy “line by line” and publicise what they would change. He said the party was “cautious” about making any “threats” such as revoking projects that had already been contracted under a previous Government.
“In Government previously, we have always honoured contracts that have been in place.
“Oil and gas, for example – we honoured all of those even though we said we weren’t going to issue any further ones. Revoking consents, permits, contracts that have gone through the legal process at the time they went through would be a very, very big step for Government to take.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
