This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Regulatory Standards Bill

Preliminary provisions

4: Overview

You could also call this:

"What this bill is all about"

This new bill wants to make sure new laws and rules are good and fair. It sets out some important ideas about how to make good rules.

When the government wants to make a new law, they will need to explain if it follows these good ideas. If it doesn't, they'll need to say why.

The bill also says that people in charge of government departments need to look after the rules they already have. They need to check if the rules are still good and fair.

Every four years, someone will write a report about how well all the rules are working.

The bill creates a new group called the Regulatory Standards Board. This group will look at laws to see if they follow the good ideas.

The bill also gives some people the power to get information they need to do their job of checking the rules.

Remember, this is just a simple guide to what the bill is about. It doesn't actually change any laws by itself.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1436541.


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3: Purposes, or

"Why this law helps make better rules for everyone"


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5: Interpretation, or

"What words mean in this law"

Part 1Preliminary provisions

4Overview

  1. This Act—

    Principles

  2. sets out principles of responsible regulation (see section 8); and
    1. Review of new legislation

    2. provides for the explanatory note of a Government Bill, a Government amendment, or secondary legislation to include (or link to) the following (see subpart 2 of Part 2):
      1. a consistency accountability statement. This statement is made by the chief executive of the responsible agency for the legislation. It confirms that the agency has reviewed the legislation for consistency with the principles and summarises any inconsistency that is identified in the review:
        1. a statement from the responsible Minister for the Bill or amendment or the maker of the secondary legislation. This statement briefly explains the Government’s or maker’s reasons for any inconsistency with the principles that is identified in the consistency accountability statement; and
        2. provides for when an explanatory note is not required to include (or link to) the statements (see sections 10, 12, and 14); and
          1. Stewardship of regulatory systems

          2. gives public service chief executives a responsibility to proactively engage in stewardship of regulatory systems and ensure that their agencies also do so (see section 15); and
            1. requires the chief executive of the Ministry that is responsible for this Act to give at least 4-yearly briefings on the state of the regulatory management system (see section 16); and
              1. requires responsible agencies for existing legislation to develop plans for regularly reviewing the legislation for consistency with the principles and to report on the reviews, with certain exceptions (see sections 17 to 22); and
                1. requires chief executives to act independently when making a consistency accountability statement or giving a briefing under section 16 (see section 23); and
                  1. Act does not confer or impose legal rights or duties or affect validity

                  2. confirms that the Act does not confer or impose legal rights or duties or affect the validity of any legislation (see subpart 5 of Part 2); and
                    1. Guidance

                    2. provides for the regulatory standards Minister and the Attorney-General to jointly issue guidance (see subpart 6 of Part 2); and
                      1. Regulatory Standards Board

                      2. establishes a Regulatory Standards Board to carry out inquiries into whether existing legislation is inconsistent with the principles and to consider consistency accountability statements for Government Bills (see subpart 7 of Part 2); and
                        1. Regulatory reviews and information-gathering powers

                        2. provides for reports on regulatory reviews that are carried out by the Ministry that is responsible for this Act to be presented to the House of Representatives together with the Government’s response (see section 41); and
                          1. gives the chief executive of that Ministry powers to obtain information to support the Ministry’s role (see sections 42 to 47).
                            1. This section is only a guide to the general scheme and effect of this Act.