Fourth Time Lucky? ACT’s Regulatory Standards Law May Finally Pass, Despite Treaty and Legal Doubts

Fourth time lucky? ACT’s regulatory standards law may finally pass, despite Treaty and legal doubts

ACT Party leader David Seymour. Getty ImagesWith the ACT Party’s Regulatory Standards Bill now before the Finance and Expenditure Committee, having passed its first reading in parliament last week, parallels with the now abandoned Treaty Principles Bill have already been drawn. Lawyer Tania Waikato, who led an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim before the bill was introduced, has dubbed it “the Treaty Principles Bill 2.0”. The tribunal itself recomm…

Why the Regulatory Standards Bill is such a dangerous piece of legislation

Regulatory Standards Bill passes first reading The Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament. The bill is part of the National and ACT party’s coalition agreement and would establish a benchmark for what the Act Party calls “good regulation” through a set of regulatory principles that legislation would be measured against. Minister for Regulation David Seymour said the bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. “Thi…