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Fast-track Approvals Act 2024

Fast-track approvals process - Panel consideration of substantive application - Hearing of panel

59: Remote access hearing

You could also call this:

"Hearings can be held online so people can join in from anywhere, and the public can watch or listen for free."

Illustration for Fast-track Approvals Act 2024

A panel can decide to hold a hearing or part of a hearing using remote access facilities. You can ask for this, or the panel can decide to do it on their own. The panel can also do this if someone who is affected by the decision, as mentioned in section 57(1), asks for it.

If a hearing is held remotely, the panel must make it available to the public. They can do this by making the hearing available live on the internet for free. If they cannot do this, they must make a recording or transcript of the hearing available after it finishes.

The recording or transcript must be published on a website that is run by or for the EPA, and it must be free and available to the public as much as possible. However, the panel must follow the rules in section 48 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, which says that local authorities can exclude the public in some cases.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS987112.

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Part 2Fast-track approvals process
Panel consideration of substantive application: Hearing of panel

59Remote access hearing

  1. A panel may direct that a hearing or part of a hearing be held using 1 or more remote access facilities—

  2. on the initiative of the panel; or
    1. at the request of the applicant; or
      1. at the request of a person, or a representative of a group of persons, referred to in section 57(1).

        1. If a hearing is held using a remote access facility, a panel must,—

        2. if it is reasonably practicable to do so, enable access to the hearing by making it available live and free of charge to the public, for example, on an internet site; or
          1. after the hearing closes, make available, in accordance with subsection (3),—
            1. an audio or a video recording of the hearing; or
              1. a written transcript of the hearing.

              2. A recording or transcript that is made available under subsection (2)(b) must be published on an internet site that is administered by or on behalf of the EPA and is publicly available as far as practicable and free of charge.

              3. Subsection (2) is subject to section 48 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (right of local authorities to exclude public).

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