Source: New Zealand Government
The Minister for Regulation and the Attorney‑General have today issued joint statutory guidance to support consistent application of the Regulatory Standards Act 2025 (the Act) across government.
“We’re showing voters who is responsible for putting costs on them and why. Better information means more informed choices at the voting booth. That’s important for the future of New Zealand,” Mr Seymour says.
“Statutory guidance issued today will show government agencies how to comply with the Act’s new transparency requirements. From July any Minister introducing a Bill to the house must also provide a Consistency Accountability Statement (CAS), which will published. The CAS will show whether proposed laws are consistent with the principles of good regulation in the Act, and if not, Ministers must explain why not.”
The guidance outlines expectations and best practice in relation to:
- how the principles of responsible regulation should be applied
- how to review proposed or existing legislation for consistency with the principles of responsible regulation
- the content and presentation of consistency accountability statements
- how to prepare, publish, carry out, and report on plans for review of existing legislation.
“From July we are also replacing Regulatory Impact Statements (RIS) with shorter and sharper Regulatory Analysis Summaries (RAS). RISs could be over 100 pages of fluff. RASs will be less than 20 pages and more focussed on cost benefit analysis. To ensure the quality of the analyses, RASs will be quality assured by an independent panel,” Mr Seymour says.
“Bad regulations have real consequences for real people. People work hard to earn their livelihood. Now there is scrutiny for people who ruin it with bad regulations.”
“The guidance was developed in close cooperation with the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the Crown Law Office. It reflects the Crown’s understanding of the legal effect of the principles of responsible regulation as set out in the Act,” Attorney‑General Chris Bishop says.
“Good regulation should be necessary, proportionate, and effective. The guidance helps agencies apply those principles in practice.”
The full guidance can be found here: https://www.regulation.govt.nz/about-us/our-publications/guidance-issued-under-section-26-of-the-regulatory-standards-act-2025/