Regulatory Standards Bill: Submission Guidance & Assistance [Updated]

*phew*, this is hard work. Unlike the Treaty Principles Bill which has a tonne of templates and publicly available submissions for you to copy/amend/submit, the Regulatory Standards Bill has very little out there.

Update 14-Jan-2024: Did I Miss The Submission? (spoiler, no)

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Submission form: https://consultation.regulation.govt.nz/rsb/have-your-say-on-regulatory-standards-bill/consultation/intro/

Email your submission to: RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz

More:

• Explanation & Submission [Updated]
• What Is A "Person"

[Update 8-Jan-2024]

Emily Writes (Jan 06, 2025) being awesome, OK fine, what submissions do I have to make FFS?!, "Don't worry - I got you. Here's everything you need in one place!":

Bill: The Regulatory Standards Bill

Do it by: 13 January 2024.

Why should I care? This bill is the twin to the Treaty Principles Bill. So much so that you can use your submission for that bill as the template to this one. It has been described as: The ‘dangerous’ bill flying under the radar and “arguably one of the most regressive and dangerous Bills ever considered”.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open an email and put RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz in the address field. If you wish, send a copy of your submission to your MP and ask them to oppose the Bill.
2. Begin with any variation of “I oppose the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. It prioritises big business over people and the environment. Instead, we need regulations that protect New Zealand’s resources, our whānau, and future generations.”
3. Keep it simple - I included statements like: “It gives far too much power to its architect Minister for Regulation David Seymour” and “This bill has been rejected three times already” and “Taxpayers are put at risk of having to pay the losses of a corporate's profits resulting from legislation even if that legislation protects workers or the environment or the public.” Get more info here.
4. End your email with any variation of “Please abandon the Regulatory Standards Bill 2021 and its proposed updates. There is no need for this bill and it should not go to an expensive and unnecessary referendum.”
5. Celebrate! You did your bit to stand up against greedy corporates and exploitative business, protect future generations, our precious whenua, and our values as a country.

Also with this update you can see a submission that agrees with the Bill and the "principles" -  BusinessNZ's draft submission (pdf). It's always good to see the other side, it might give you grist for your mill.

Which is unexpected as this is the fourth time this Bill has been put forward.

But riding in to save me all the hard work is the Proposed Regulatory Standards Bill : Explainer & Submission Guide, written by Jen Bennett and Melanie Nelson with contributions from several others.

I found this via RenRen and my new online friend (she doesn't know it yet), Melanie Nelson and her Substack posts.

To get your submission juices flowing here's two to have a read of:

18. The ACT Party has tried to pass this legislation three times and has failed. As a fervent supporter of a “three strikes” approach when dealing with sentencing, it should apply the same principle to this Bill.

19. This version is essentially a re-run of bills that Parliament has already examined three times, twice in depth, and rejected each time.

From Emeritus Professor Jane Kelsey and her submission, Jane Kelsey's Submission on the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. Whilst it's not in the question format demanded of the submission form it's an excellent read and there are many parts you can utilise.

The same with the following:

Despite some good intentions, the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill, as outlined in the Discussion Document (Ministry for Regulation, 2024a), should not be enacted. It suffers from many (but not all) of the serious flaws which dogged previous versions of the Bill over recent decades, and which contributed to these versions being repeatedly and conclusively rejected by decision-makers.

From the Regulatory bill submission by Emeritus Professor Jonathan Boston, ONZM.

I finally did find this one previous Bill submission that may also help you: “Tinkering in the Constitutional Shed”: The Regulatory Standards Bill and Legislative Quality in New Zealand [PDF] by E. M. Thomas (October 2011).

Reading for us all, I'm gonna dive into the Google Doc guide and see what I can utilise ... see you all on the submission page, and I leave you with this from Melanie:

.. consultation on the Regulatory Standards Bill ending on 13 January. No special expertise is required to make a simple submission on either Bill.

These deadlines offer critical opportunities to scrutinise and challenge the ideological foundations of these proposals before they transform the nation’s legal and political framework.

[Update 2-Jan-2024]

It's slowly dawned on me as I read other people's submissions on this and other Bills that you can write what you want, how you want, and absolutely do not need to focus on the questions any submission form has.

Treat any pre-defined questions as guidelines if that helps you, but also just have your say. Pop it all into a Word (or equivalent) document and email it (RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz), job done, have a cup of tea and a biscuit.

More:

• Explanation & Submission [Updated]
• What Is A "Person"