[ Last Updated 23 May 2006 ]
Short Description
Key points of the Review of Regulatory Frameworks.
The Labour-led government is taking a fresh look at regulation to identify constraints to economic growth.
This is a government with an appetite to work with business to identify practical solutions and mechanisms for fast-tracking them.
This is a drive for even more quality and efficiency in regulatory frameworks that are already rating well in international surveys. We are moving forward. This is continuous quality improvement in action.
Regulations will be examined from all angles – horizontal, vertical, in-depth and fast-track.
Small things can make a big difference, especially to SMEs.
Specific sectors will be studied. First up is the food and beverage sector, the wine industry and the retail and hospitality sectors.
A Ministerial Group for Quality Regulation will oversee an inter-departmental Quality Regulation Taskforce. This whole-of-government approach means overlaps between departments can be tackled. The aim is for the many arms of government to extend a single hand to business.
We know businesses are concerned about how things work in practice, not in theory.
The government will do its bit. The review will strengthen the Regulatory Impact Analysis process, and implement a standard cost model to measure compliance costs. The review is looking at setting up a stand-alone group to examine compliance and implementation issues, especially the cumulative effect this has on business.
Balance has to be given to what are sometimes competing interests. There will be instances where self-regulation is appropriate and instances where state-regulation is appropriate. Sometimes flexibility is more important to business, on other occasions it is certainty.
Quality frameworks ensure regulators have a clear purpose, a good understanding of the environment in which they work, good communications and appropriate enforcement mechanisms.
New Zealand is not just a great place to live, it is a great country to invest and a great country to do business.