Source: Greenpeace
Documents released to Greenpeace Aotearoa under the Official Information Act reveal that both the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Treasury have joined the growing list of bodies issuing strong warnings against the Regulatory Standards Bill.
In a scathing assessment dated 20 March, the Ministry for the Environment described the Bill as “deeply problematic” and warned that it “conflicts with the fundamental principles of the environmental management system” and “poses risks to the health, safety, economic, social, and environmental interests of current and future New Zealanders.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Prime Minister to withdraw his support for the Bill.
“This damning official advice confirms what Greenpeace have been warning all along: this Bill represents an unprecedented threat to our environment and to the Government’s ability to respond to the climate crisis,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop.
The Treasury, in a separate briefing dated 28 March 2025, warned the Bill “could impose costs on agencies exceeding the potential economic and societal benefit” and “may also have a chilling effect on the development and retention of beneficial regulation.”
“What we’re seeing here is overwhelming opposition to the Bill from the very institutions tasked with upholding good lawmaking, public safety, and environmental stewardship. That’s because the real intent behind David Seymour’s Regulatory Standards bill is to tie the hands of future Governments and impose the ACT party’s far-right neoliberal principles on our democracy.”
“This is a dangerous, undemocratic piece of legislation being pushed through via a backroom coalition deal,” said Toop. “It’s time for the Prime Minister to show some leadership and scrap it.”
MfE and Treasury were both particularly critical of the Bill’s proposed expectation that the government compensate corporations for regulations that affect their property. MfE said it risks “reversing the ‘polluter pays’ principle”, and Treasury stated it “goes further than conventional policy in this area” warning it could lead to delays and increased costs on infrastructure projects.
“It’s a simple principle: polluters should pay – not be paid by the public,” said Toop. “But this Bill would flip that on its head, allowing corporations to expect taxpayer compensation for basic environmental and human health protections,” says Toop.
“It is the role of the Government to govern for the collective well-being of the people it serves, and that includes protecting the environment and the climate on which we all depend. This Bill up
