Four Southland projects selected under the Government’s new - yet to be passed - Fast-track Approvals Bill will, if approved, supercharge Southland's economy according to Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds.

Southland's selected fast track projects include a Makarewa hatchery, a Stewart Island marine farm, a Bluff land-based salmon farm and processing facility and a new water source for Invercargill city.

The local projects are part of 149 projects announced by the government on Sunday (6 Oct).

The projects, each judged to have significant regional or national benefits, include 44 housing developments and seven aquaculture and farming operations.

Before being consented the projects will each need to be passed by a panel who have expertise in the relevant industry, environmental issues and the Treaty.

However critics of the controversial new bill argue that if passed it will effectively put profit ahead of the environment by locking out conservation groups from going beyond the submission stage.

Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds said the 4 Southland projects would supercharge the local economy, create jobs and deliver growth to the province.

“These projects, if consented, will provide benefits to the Southland regional economy, including high-paying jobs, increased exports, and reliable infrastructure."

“Successive governments have allowed red and green tape to hinder economic growth, delaying much-needed infrastructure and housing projects."

“The Fast-track Approvals Bill cuts through this bureaucracy, enabling projects of national and regional significance to proceed more quickly and efficiently,” she said.

Simmonds said the expert panel would balance environmental protection with the need for growth, and if the environmental impacts are deemed excessive, the panel can decline the project.

It is expected some of the projects will be accepted by 2025. The bill is yet to be passed into law.

The Southland projects for fast-track are:

• Sanford Ltd’s Makarewa Hatchery project, which involves the construction and operation of a land-based recirculating water salmon hatchery on a 24-hectare former abattoir site.
• Ngai Tahu’s Hananui Aquaculture project, which aims to develop a 2500-hectare site of marine space for marine farming (finfish).
• ImpactMarine Bluff Ltd’s sustainable and climate-resilient aquaculture project, involves the construction and operation of a land-based salmon farm and processing facility.
• An Invercargill City Council Awarua Alternate Water Supply project, providing a standalone, reliable, secondary water source for the residents and businesses of Invercargill from groundwater bores, capable of providing approximately 20 million litres of additional treated water per day.