New MBIE regulatory strategy released

Regulatory Reform Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed the release of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s new Regulatory Management Strategy.

“In a world that is changing fast, producing and maintaining high quality regulation is one of the most important activities for Government. It requires regulatory agencies to focus not only on the development of regulation, but also on its implementation, enforcement, monitoring and review,” Mr Joyce says.

“It also cannot be done alone – it needs a collaborative approach between regulatory agencies and their stakeholders.”

The Government’s response to the Productivity Commission report in 2015, directed seven major regulatory departments – Department of Internal Affairs, Inland Revenue, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Primary Industries, and Ministry of Transport – to be transparent about how they manage the regulatory regimes they are responsible for, the performance and condition of those regimes and their plans for improvement.

MBIE’s first Regulatory Management Strategy provides a snap-shot of the work it does and its regulatory priorities. It includes system assessments, new regulatory charters, an integrated approach to intelligence and enforcement, and programmes to build capability for policy advisers and front line regulators.

“This information makes it easier for stakeholders and departments to collaborate to identify opportunities to improve regulation, reducing red tape and compliance costs for New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses,” Mr Joyce says.

“I encourage stakeholders to use the information being published by MBIE and the other big regulators to let them know whether you agree with the direction of their regulatory management strategy, if there are any areas to reduce the cost of regulation and whether you agree with the areas identified for regulatory reform.”

MBIE’s Regulation Management Strategy is available here.

The regulatory management strategies and plans of the remaining six departments will be published on their websites over the next couple of months. They will also be available on the Treasury website at: www.treasury.govt.nz/regulation/fitforpurpose.