The Regulatory Standards Bill
*DISCLAIMER*
This isn’t a formal Bill yet, unlike the Treaty Principles Bill. It’s currently a proposed piece of legislation, meaning David Seymour’s new Ministry of Regulation is consulting the public on what it should include.
You’ll have another opportunity to share your thoughts when the final Bill is introduced to Parliament.
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: 11:59 PM MONDAY 13TH JANUARY, 2025
Or email your views to: RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz
What is in the proposed Bill?
The proposed bill introduces a new set of principles meant to guide all lawmaking in New Zealand. These principles claim to focus on “good law-making” and “economic efficiency.” They’d be used to evaluate new laws and review existing ones. The proposed standards include ideas like upholding the rule of law, protecting personal liberties and property rights, and “reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens.”
The bigger question is: Are these “principles” really necessary?
Not at all. New Zealand already ranks highly for regulatory efficiency and ease of doing business compared to similar countries. There’s no real need to add these principles to our legal system.
Why should it be opposed?
Unnecessary Principles
This Bill is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. New Zealand already ranks highly in regulatory efficiency and ease of doing business compared to similar countries. Adding a new set of principles for lawmaking won’t improve things; instead, it risks creating unnecessary complexity. The current system is working well without these changes.
Ignoring Key Values
The Bill focuses narrowly on economic efficiency, personal property rights, and cutting regulatory “burdens,” but good laws are about more than that. It overlooks crucial values like human rights, collective well-being, environmental sustainability, and honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Leaving these priorities out creates an unbalanced framework that serves profits over people.
Sidelining Te Tiriti
The Bill completely omits Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as noted in the Ministry of Regulation’s analysis—much of which has been redacted. This exclusion downgrades the importance of Māori sovereignty and breaches our obligations to honor Te Tiriti, replacing it with principles that prioritize profits and property over partnership and equity.
A Harmful Agenda
The Bill prioritizes libertarian ideals like economic efficiency and property rights, mirroring the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. These principles benefit corporations and the state at the expense of communities, the environment, and marginalized groups. It shifts focus away from collective well-being, creating a system that values profits over people.
Reduces Accountability
The Bill introduces independent reviews to assess laws, but these reviews lack proper safeguards against corporate and political influence. This means powerful interest groups could shape decisions, weakening public input and democratic oversight. Instead of making the lawmaking process more transparent, it risks giving unelected bodies more control.
SOURCE: Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown
SUBMIT TO THE PROPOSED BILL HERE
Or email your views to:
RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz
Learn more from the community
SOURCE: Riana Te Ngahue | @rianatengahue
100 Submission sentences opposing the Regulatory Standards Bill based on Te Tiriti
Created by Tania Waikato | @taniawaikatolawyer
Tania has developed a powerful tool containing 100 concise and compelling sentences to oppose the Regulatory Standards Bill from a Te Tiriti perspective.
With over 20 years of experience as a litigation specialist, Tania brings deep expertise in Māori business, commercial law, the Resource Management Act (RMA), employment law, Te Tiriti, and local government