Regulatory Standards Bill Submission

Summary of Position

1.                      CPAG ultimately opposes the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB).

2.                      While the Bill’s stated aim is to improve the quality of regulation in Aotearoa New Zealand, CPAG is deeply concerned that the approach taken prioritises economic rights and cost-efficiency over the rights, wellbeing, and future outcomes of tamariki and whānau living in poverty.

3.                      In our view, the Bill risks entrenching inequity, discouraging much-needed social policy innovation, and shifting power away from democratically elected decision-makers. Specifically:

a.      The Bill’s principles are incompatible with child-centred policy, prioritising market freedoms over wellbeing freedoms.

b.     The Bill shifts power away from elected governments and could constrain or discourage ministers and public servants from enacting necessary pro-child measures due to fear of inconsistency with “regulatory principles.”

c.      The Bill will deepen inequity and reduce policy responsiveness by making it harder for targeted deprivation assistance or support for tamariki Māori to pass the “cost–benefit” test under the Bill.

d.     No recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi2 or Human Rights frameworks, despite clear and repeated evidence that minority communities, particularly Māori, Pasifika and people with disabilities, are overrepresented in poverty statistics.