Hide Rodney: Regulatory Reform Bill — First Reading 
Hide Rodney: Regulatory Reform Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:670;Page:16738] 
Hon RODNEY HIDE (Minister for Regulatory Reform) 
: 
 I move  
That the Regulatory Reform Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be referred to the Commerce Committee. The Regulatory Reform Bill amends 13 Acts of Parliament and is designed to reduce compliance costs and the regulatory burden on business which will be a good thing. It is intended that the bill be divided into separate bills in the Committee of the whole House. 
The Acts put forward for amendment by Ministers from eight portfolios have been identified through a number of avenues including through the regulatory scanning exercise undertaken by Government departments. Agencies have been asked to undertake scanning of their legislation as part of the commitment this Government has to the  
Government Statement on Regulation: Better Regulation Less Regulation 
. The statement was announced in August 2009 and sets out the Government’s commitment to introduce new regulation only when satisfied that it is required reasonable and robust and to review existing regulation in order to identify and remove requirements that are unnecessary ineffective or excessively costly. 
This is the second bill of what I intend will become an annual bill in this House. It forms a key part of the Government’s commitment to an ongoing process for amending legislation to remove requirements that are unnecessary ineffective or excessively costly and sometimes all three. Such an omnibus bill will ensure that the smaller regulatory fixes do not fall off the legislative agenda and are able to be progressed in a timely fashion to deliver the flow-on benefits to business and to the economy. A key benefit of this bill is the efficient cost-effective method of collectively amending the 13 Acts through a single omnibus bill without having to proceed with 13 separate pieces of legislation. 
The maintenance of a quality regulatory environment in New Zealand requires a body of legislation that is easy to use up to date and fit for purpose. The changes proposed in this bill cover a diverse range of policy areas and legislation but they are all aimed at the same objective: reducing the compliance burden on business. This objective is a unifying theme of the clauses in the Regulatory Reform Bill I am introducing to the House today. 
In October 2009 I wrote to all Ministers requesting suggestions for amendments to discrete pieces of legislation that would reduce the compliance burden upon business and that were suitable for inclusion in the omnibus bill. I would like to thank my colleagues who have responsibility for the Acts put forward for amendment in this bill: the Hon Simon Power Minister of Commerce; the Hon Steven Joyce Minister for Communications and Information Technology; the Hon Phil Heatley Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture; the Hon Kate Wilkinson Minister for Food Safety and Minister of Conservation; the Hon Maurice Williamson Minister for Building and Construction and Minister of Statistics; and the Hon Nathan Guy Associate Minister of Justice and Minister of Internal Affairs. The prioritisation of these amendments will contribute to businesses being better able to reach their full potential and the greatest opportunity for growth.  
Some of the changes are aimed at removing requirements and streamlining processes. These include amending the Companies Act 1993 to allow companies to choose whether to use electronic shareholder participation. It is estimated that this change could save New Zealand companies a total of $1.5 million each year. Amending the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 the Animal Products Act 1999 and the Wine Act 2003 to align and streamline the procedures for recognition under three food safety related Acts will save businesses from potential compliance costs of approximately $100000 a year. People or agencies wanting recognition for functions such as sampling testing analysing evaluating and verifying compliance under these Acts should find the process simplified and should find being recognised under more than one Act significantly less complicated.  
The bill will amend the Fisheries Act 1996 to allow for the consolidation of  
Gazette  
notices to make it easier for commercial fishermen to find out which restrictions apply to particular stocks. Consolidation of  
Gazette  
notices will mean there could be one notice for example to cover all quota management stocks and set the total allowable catch and the total allowable commercial catch for all stocks. This will reduce the time and resources needed by businesses to determine compliance.  
Several changes are aimed at increasing flexibility. These include changes to the Films Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993 to modernise labelling requirements by allowing rating and classification labels to be printed. At present distributors must arrange for the imported DVD or computer game to be unwrapped to have the printed slick—the leaflet or notice containing information about the DVD or computer game we see inserted in any sleeve or display case—removed from the case a label placed over the printed foreign classification label on the front and then the slick put back into the packaging. This bill will mean that labels can in addition to being physically attached be printed directly on to slicks. Giving businesses flexibility in whether they print on or affix an adhesive label allows choices to be made about the most cost-effective method for supplying the rating or classification label. This will reduce compliance costs by an estimated $2.4 million in the first year and $3.1 million in year 5. Apparently representatives from the industry have been coming to see Government each year for many many years asking: “Why is it that we have to put this particular sticker on when it could just be printed at the time of its manufacture?”. 
The bill will amend the Unit Trusts Act 1960 so that financial statements and accounts can be distributed electronically. This will result in savings of printing and postage costs.  
The Regulatory Reform Bill is just one of the essential measures needed to implement improvements to regulation in New Zealand. It forms part of the broader regulatory reform agenda that will improve the body of regulation in New Zealand. Last November I introduced the Regulatory Reform (Repeals) Bill proposing the repeal of 31 spent Acts. I am also preparing a Regulatory Reform (Revocations) Order which proposes the revocation of spent and obsolete regulations. This set of legislative vehicles is designed to improve the stock of regulation in New Zealand and will make sure New Zealand has an evolving regulatory environment that is relevant up to date and best placed to meet the dynamic economy that will help New Zealand grow. Thank you.