Mayor welcomes rejection of fast-track referral for Pegasus development

The Government has declined property developer Wolfbrook’s application for a fast-track referral for a major development on the former Pegasus golf course, a decision the Mayor has called a "welcome win" for the community.

In May, housing developer Wolfbrook announced it had bought the 77ha site, which was in liquidation.

It wanted to rezone it and proposed to build a 1000-home residential and commercial development.

The project area was the former Pegasus Golf and Sports Club (or Pegasus Golf Resort) about 25km north of Christchurch, which included an established golf course which had been permanently closed.

The fast-track application lodged on July 29 drew significant community opposition from the Pegasus Residents Group, who organised, advocated and gathered more than 16,000 signatures for their petition which was then delivered to Parliament.

The decision was published last night, and said Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop did not refer the project to the Fast-track on August 19, 2026.

The decision meant the project won't proceed through the current fast-track process.

In its notice of decisions letter, it said the project could only be accepted if the minister was satisfied the criteria in section 22 was met, which included "'being satisfied the project was an infrastructure or development project that would have significant regional or national benefits".

"...and referring the project to the fast-track approvals process would facilitate the project, including by enabling it to be processed in a more timely and cost-effective way than under normal processes and is unlikely to materially affect the efficient operation of the fast-track approvals process."

It said if a project was not referred, the applicant may apply again.

Waimakariri District Mayor Dan Gordon said the decision was a "wonderful win" for the Pegasus community.

"It's a common-sense decision and I would like to commend Minister Chris Bishop for listening to our community," he said online.

He said attention would now turn to "the wider challenge for due process".

"The proposed Ohoka development remains before Fast-track, despite having already been considered and declined twice through established planning processes," Gordon said.

"As I made clear in my letter to the Minister, this is not about opposing growth. Waimakariri is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing districts and we have capacity for up to 17,000 new homes over the next 30 years, accommodating around 50,000 new residents."

"What we are asking for is a review of how Fast-track is applied in districts like ours that already have significant planned capacity for residential growth."

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He added that the Council supported fast-track for complex projects of regional or national significance, particularly major infrastructure such as the Woodend Bypass.

"However, we do not believe it should provide an alternative pathway for wholesale residential developments that do not recognise and respect locally developed District Plans and growth strategies, or are planned for areas that are not suitable for development."