Regulatory Standards Bill
This bill sets up rules to make sure the government writes better laws. When the government wants to pass a new law or rule, a senior public servant must check it against a list of fairness principles — like whether it respects people's rights, is worth the cost, and was properly consulted on — and publish a summary of any problems. A new independent board is created to look into whether existing laws meet these principles. The results must be reported to Parliament so politicians and the public can see them.
What this affects
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New laws and regulations must be checked to make sure their benefits outweigh their costs before they are passed.
legislation should be expected to produce benefits that exceed the costs of the legislation to the public or persons
legislation should be the most effective, efficient, and proportionate response to the issue concerned that is available
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Finance and Expenditure Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 22 June 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.