The Productivity Commission has released the final report for its inquiry into Regulatory Institutions and Practices. See it at: www.productivity.govt.nz
The report contains the Commission’s guidance on designing and establishing new regulatory regimes and regulators. It also makes system-wide recommendations on how to improve the operation of regulatory regimes in New Zealand over time. The Commission hopes officials, elected representatives and people with an interest in regulation will use the report as a planning resource. The Government has received but not yet responded to the report.
Lobby group BusinessNZ has. It thinks the report’s recommendations are important and should be heeded. The Commission’s report highlights New Zealand’s tendency to create too many poor quality regulations.
“New Zealand is passing hundreds of laws and regulations every year but the machinery to manage this rapidly growing stock of regulation is lacking,” according to BusinessNZ Chief Executive, Phil O’Reilly. “We need better systems to get more simplicity, consistency and transparency. The Commission’s recommendations are highly pertinent,” he added.
The Commission’s recommendations include requiring:
- a government plan for managing the stock of regulation
- a government plan for improving regulation quality
- more use of public ‘exposure’ drafts for Bills
- a review of the responsibilities of the Minister for Regulatory Management
- regulators to publish information on the information and principles informing their regulatory decisions
- government departments to publish their plans for keeping their regulatory regimes up to date
