New Standards Resource for Policy Development Toolkit
The last issue of the Regulatory Review outlined some key features of using Standards as part of policy development. Building on this information, Standards New Zealand is developing a more detailed resource for the Policy Development Toolkit section of the Public Service Intranet.
What Are Standards?
In broad terms, Standards are:
- agreed technical specifications for products, processes, performance or services
- used to provide information, establish measurements, set minimum levels of quality or safety, and support interface and compatibility between products and services
- flexible and relatively inexpensive regulatory instruments that can be used in support of many government policies, suitable to New Zealand's regulatory environment.
Standards Are a Useful Tool for Policy Makers
- Standards can complement policy development and/or reduce the level of detail required in regulation drafting, promote sector involvement and reduce associated monitoring and business compliance costs.
- Standards can be developed and published relatively quickly, compared to the timeframes for changing legislation or regulation. Standards are therefore flexible and can respond to and reflect New Zealand's changing economic and social environment.
- Direct stakeholder and industry involvement in developing Standards means they are widely accepted by those who have to implement them.
New Resource on Standards for the Policy Development Toolkit
Standards New Zealand is currently developing a more detailed set of information on Standards and policy development. The resource will be located on the Public Service Intranet in the Policy Development Toolkit section.
Key features and topics included in the resource:
- why use a Standard
- what a Standard does for your policy
- different types/versions of Standards
- a decision tree for using Standards
- case studies outlining the purpose of particular Standards, e.g. type of Standard that was used, implementation advantages, and user benefits.
For More Information on Standards
Rob Warner
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