Regulatory systems amendment bills
This page explains the different regulatory system amendment bills that we have used to update legislation we administer.
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What are Regulatory Systems Amendment Bills?
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bills (RSABs) are a legislative vehicle used by MBIE and other large regulatory agencies.
RSABs aim to improve regulatory systems by ensuring that they are effective, efficient and align with best regulatory practice. The amendments in these Bills achieve this by:
- clarifying and updating statutory provisions in each Act amended, to better give effect to the purpose of that Act and its provisions
- addressing regulatory duplication, gaps, errors, and inconsistencies within and between different pieces of legislation
- keeping the regulatory system up to date and relevant; and
- removing unnecessary compliance and implementation costs.
An RSAB is a package of separate omnibus bills (bills that amend multiple pieces of legislation) that are treated as cognate (related) and progress through the parliamentary process together.
MBIE’s Regulatory Systems Amendment Bills
MBIE and other large regulatory agencies began to progress regular RSABs after the Productivity Commission’s Regulatory institutions and practices report of 2014 noted it could be difficult to find time on the parliamentary calendar for ‘repairs and maintenance’ of existing legislation. RSABs are consistent with the general responsibilities of departmental chief executives for the stewardship of legislation administered by their agency.
MBIE’s previous RSABs have generally comprised the following three separate bills:
- a Commercial Matters or Economic Development Bill – covering amendments in the Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Digital Economy and Communications portfolios, referred to the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee for consideration
- a Building and Housing Bill – covering amendments in the Building and Construction, and Housing portfolios, referred to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee
- a Workplace Relations/Immigration Bill – covering amendments to the Workplace Relations and Safety, and Immigration portfolios, referred to the Education and Workforce Committee.
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 1)
The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 1) was introduced on 12 October 2016 and passed on 23 March 2017. The RSAB No 1 package comprised:
- the Regulatory Systems (Building and Housing) Amendment Act 2017, containing 44 amendments to two Acts
- the Regulatory Systems (Commercial Matters) Amendment Act 2017, containing 140 amendments to 16 Acts
- the Regulatory Systems (Workplace Relations) Amendment Act 2017, containing 8 amendments to two Acts.
Key links
Regulatory Systems (Building and Housing) Amendment Act 2017(external link)
Regulatory Systems (Commercial Matters) Amendment Act 2017(external link)
Regulatory Systems (Workplace Relations) Amendment Act 2017(external link)
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 2)
The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 2) was introduced on 12 December 2018 and passed on 7 November 2019. The RSAB No 2 package comprised:
- the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Act 2019, containing 130 amendments to 14 Acts
- the Regulatory Systems (Workforce) Amendment Act 2019, containing 18 amendments to three Acts
- the Regulatory Systems (Housing) Amendment Act 2019, containing four amendments to two Acts.
Key links
Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Act 2019(external link)
Regulatory Systems (Workforce) Amendment Act 2019(external link)
Regulatory Systems (Housing) Amendment Act 2019(external link)
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (2): new policy proposals [PDF, 93 KB]
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 3)
The third package of MBIE RSABs comprises two Bills:
- The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill amends 24 Acts and related regulations
- The Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill amends 7 Acts and related regulations.
Cabinet made policy decisions about the original Bills in July 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the progress of these Bills, and Cabinet decided in May 2021 to combine the original Bills with the amendments that had been identified for a fourth set of Bills.
In May 2024, Cabinet approved the introduction of the Bills, agreed to rescind or amend some previous Cabinet decisions, and agreed to include some additional matters in the Bills.
The Bills were introduced on 23 May 2024 and had a first reading on 23 July 2024. The Economic Development Bill is being considered by the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee and the Immigration and Workforce Bill is being considered by the Education and Workforce Committee. The Committees are due to report back on the bills by 23 January 2025.
Key links
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 3): Policy proposals [PDF, 1.7 MB]
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 3): Policy proposals – Minute of Decision [PDF, 199 KB]
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bills: policy proposals [PDF, 1 MB]
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bills: policy proposals - Minute of Decision [PDF, 181 KB]
Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No 4)
MBIE has started identifying amendments for a fourth set of Bills. At this stage, the timeline for progressing a fourth set of bills has yet to be confirmed.
For more information on Regulatory System Amendments Bills, contact us at Regulatory.Systems@mbie.govt.nz.