A new law called the Natural Environment Bill is being proposed. You will see changes to how things are done in New Zealand if it is passed. The proposed law says a national instrument can include rules for transitional matters. You need to know what transitional matters are. Transitional matters are things that help change from the old way to the new way. A national instrument can make rules about how these changes affect things that already exist. The national instrument can make rules about how the changes affect things that are already happening. This means it can say how the new rules apply to things that started before the new law came into effect. It is all about making the change from the old rules to the new rules smoother.