Government seeks public feedback on pitched regulatory standards bill

The government is seeking the public’s feedback on a pitched Regulatory Standards Bill.

The bill is expected to bolster regulation quality.

“The bill will codify principles of good regulatory practice for existing and future regulations. It seeks to bring the same level of discipline to regulation that the Public Finance Act brings to public spending, with the Ministry for Regulation playing a role akin to that of Treasury”, Regulation Minister David Seymour explained.

According to the minister, the bill was the end result of almost 25 years of work. It includes a recourse mechanism via the establishment of a Regulatory Standards Board that will review complaints and challenges to regulations, delivering non-binding recommendation and public reports.

“New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To lift productivity and wages, ACT’s coalition agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act”, Seymour said. “If we raise the political cost of making bad laws by allowing New Zealanders to hold regulators accountable, the outcome will be better law-making, higher productivity, and higher wages”.

The consultation period will close on 13 January 2025. The minister highlighted the contributions of Dr Bryce Wilkinson, Dr Graham Scott, Jack Hodder KC, and other members of the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce, who helped to lay the foundation for and refined the legislation.