The approval process involved 2 stages.
The first stage was to shortlist preferred projects from the proposals submitted in May 2017. There were 14 proposals submitted by 5 councils, which were supported by indicative business cases. These were reviewed and assessed by independent technical assessors and the Independent Advisory Panel ('the Panel'). The Panel recommended 9 shortlisted projects to the Ministers of Housing, Infrastructure and Finance. The Ministers approved the projects and allocated the Fund ‘in principle’. These successful projects then advanced to the second stage.
In the second stage, successful councils prepared and submitted detailed business cases. The detailed business cases were required to confirm:
- the infrastructure required
- the costs
- development timeframes, and
- financial details.
With the assistance of MBIE and NZTA, The Panel recommended to the Minsters which projects were good investments. If the Ministers approved the projects the financial details in these business cases was the basis for loans and agreements to be prepared and signed.