Port of Tauranga (NZE:POT) has secured approval from the Minister for Infrastructure to have its Stella Passage development resource consent application considered under the fast-track consenting process, according to a Friday filing with the New Zealand bourse.

The company's fast-track application runs alongside its original "listed project" application with the environmental protection authority, currently on hold after the high court found it didn't fully comply with the fast-track approvals act, per the filing.

The government is tackling the legislative issue with the fast-track approvals amendment bill, which it aims to pass by the end of the year, the filing said.

The Stella Passage project will extend Sulphur Point and Mount Maunganui wharves, dredge channels, and carry out minor reclamation, with minimal environmental impacts, though unresolved cultural mitigation with the iwi and hapu parties has led the port to fast-track approval to avoid shipping losses, the filing added.