About the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport
The new Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) is active from 1 July 2026.
In December 2025, the Government announced MCERT – a new Ministry that brings together the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Transport and local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs into one unified agency.
The Government’s goal is to bring the four agencies’ critical functions into one place to tackle some of the most complex challenges facing New Zealand, such as housing affordability, transport funding and environmental issues.
The Government wants the new agency to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s cities and regions, and boost growth and productivity by reducing duplication and complexity.
The merger is also consistent with the direction set out by the Public Services Commission in the recent ‘state of the public sector report’ which aims to see agencies clustering around citizens, common platforms, businesses and markets to ensure joined up policy cohesion and leadership.
The Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport has two core roles in the Fast-track process
The Ministry's core function as responsible agency is to assess referral applications and provide advice to the Minister for Infrastructure to inform his decisions on referral applications.
The Ministry receives the referral application from the applicant and assesses it for completeness and eligibility. It also prepares a report on Treaty Settlements and other obligations for each project application.
The Ministry then provides this information to the Minister for Infrastructure, who decides whether the project should be referred to the substantive stage of the Fast-track process.
In addition to supporting the Minister for Infrastructure, the Ministry is responsible for advising relevant Ministers (including the Minister for Climate Change) who may exercise powers, functions and duties under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024. Comments must be invited from the Minister for the Environment at both referral and substantive application stages.
The Fast-track process guides applicants
If you apply for Fast-track referral, the application process will guide your work with the Ministry for the Environment. The application forms explain the information needed. The Fast-track team will help applicants connect with the right people at the Ministry for the Environment.
More detail: Referral application to use the Fast-track