Government agencies are set to follow a simplified process when making new regulations from January 1st, 2025.
Regulation Minister David Seymour says the changes will ensure the process is more efficient, transparent and effective. The streamlined approach aims to free up resources for more important matters. To improve readability, regulatory impact statements (RIS) will now include a 'at-a-glance' coversheet.
The shift in focus from RISs as an all-purpose tool to concentrating on changes that restrict property use is expected to reduce the number of produced statements. Agencies must also provide early-stage information to the Ministry for Regulation when starting new proposals, and the Ministry will publicly report on how well Ministerial portfolios meet their impact analysis requirements.
The changes are part of the Government's plan to improve regulation quality, aiming to lift productivity and wages for all New Zealanders.