Latest news with #MinistryforRegulation
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Act leader David Seymour suggested ‘bots' drove ‘fake submissions' against his Regulatory Standards Bill
David Seymour claims 99.5% of submissions were created using bots. Photo / Mark Mitchell RNZ Act leader David Seymour has claimed 99.5% of the submissions received on the Regulatory Standards Bill were created using 'bots'. The Ministry for Regulation received approximately 23,000 submissions regarding a discussion document about the bill in January. In summarising the feedback,
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hairdressing And Barbering Regulations Given The Cut
Minister for Regulation Regulation Minister David Seymour says that from the end of July, barbers and hairdressers will be freed from costly, annoying, and pointless regulations. The Government is scrapping 80s-era rules so hairdressers can focus on cuts, instead of compliance. 'This review and the changes announced today show the power of a sector review,' Mr Seymour says. 'Much like the perm, hairdressing regulations from the 80s are outdated and costly. Freedom is back in style though, by the end of July this year existing regulations will be revoked.' Cabinet accepted all of the changes recommended by the Ministry for Regulation. 'Existing regulations aren't making a practical difference to safety, but the compliance is frustrating and costly. We anticipate that revoking all existing regulations will save the industry a minimum of about $1 million per year.' Mr Seymour says. 'The review found that existing regulations are either unnecessary, already managed by other rules, or applied inconsistently between local authorities. 'Local government is responsible for setting annual registration fees. These can range from anywhere between $140 to $495 depending on location. 'Examples of absurd rules include how far apart salon seats should be, how bright the lights in the business are, whether you can have a 'cuppa' with your cut, and whether dogs are allowed in salons. From the end of July now these decisions will be up to the business owner. 'Compliance with health and safety, building regulations, and general public health requirements is required already. There is no reason to also require compliance with hairdressing regulations from the 80s which aim to achieve the same thing – manage health risks. 'The Ministry for Regulation will work with the Ministry of Health on guidance for industry related to hygiene, disinfection and sanitation practices in salons and shops to manage public health risks. This will be given when existing regulations are revoked and will accompany Worksafe's existing guidance for the industry. 'The Ministry for Regulation will then monitor the new regulatory system and report back to me on its effectiveness in two years. Work is also underway with the Ministry of Justice to respond to the issues with alcohol licensing raised by submitters. 'In a high-cost economy, regulation isn't neutral. It's a tax on growth. Every completed review makes it easier to do business, access services, and innovate in New Zealand. The Hairdressers and Barbers Sector Review is another example of what smarter regulation looks like in action.'
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Hairdressing regulations given 'serious trim'
Separate hairdressing regulations are set to be scrapped, with cabinet agreeing to all four recommendations from a regulatory review into the hairdressing and barbering industry. The review, carried out by the Ministry for Regulation along with the Ministry of Health, looked at the regulations the industry needed to follow and whether any of them were deemed to be unnecessary or holding the industry back. They included rules prohibiting dogs, other than guide-dogs, from being inside a barber shop and a ban on staff serving their clients refreshments. Minister for Regulation David Seymour said "pointless bureaucracy" was being cut back. "This is buzz cut season for red tape and regulation at salons up and down New Zealand. We are taking a serious trim to the amount of pointless bureaucracy, really shaving it back to the scalp where it's no longer needed because it's critical that people up and down this country who run small businesses can spend more time doing what they want to do and spend less time complying with pointless rules and regulations. "The savings ... are about $1 million a year. Some will say 'what's a million dollars in the context of the whole economy', I say how many times do you see a government actually removing rules that aren't needed, actually saving money year after year to make it easier to get on with our lives." The cost of the review had been about half a million dollars over six months, he said, "and give it 10 years' time it will have paid for itself 20 times over". Seymour said the changes being talked about would come into effect from July 1, but changes to the sale and supply of alcohol would need to go through legislation he hoped to convince his coalition partners to progress before the end of the year. He said hairdressing was a very competitive industry, and concerns about hygiene and sanitation would be "solved by customer vigilance and competition amongst salons, it doesn't actually require an inspector to come in". If he was wrong about that, the requirement for the rules to be reassessed after two years would see the rules reintroduced "but I don't think that will happen". Full replacement of regulations Announcing the review in December, Seymour said regulations were not making a practical difference to public health, but were frustrating business owners and customers. The review has now recommended a full revoke of the Health (Hairdressers) Regulations 1980. Seymour said compliance with health and safety, building regulations and general public health requirements was required already and there was no need for separate regulation from the 1980s. "Existing regulations aren't making a practical difference to safety, but the compliance is frustrating and costly. We anticipate that revoking all existing regulations will save the industry a minimum of about $1 million per year," he said. Seymour said the review also found that existing regulations were often applied inconsistently, with annual registration fees set by local government varying between $140 and $495, depending on location. "Examples of absurd rules include how far apart salon seats should be, how bright the lights in the business are, whether you can have a 'cuppa' with your cut and whether dogs are allowed in salons. From the end of July now these decisions will be up to the business owner," he said. The review put forward two options in revoking the existing regulations. One option was to rely on existing mechanisms in other legislation along with new industry guidance. The other was to replace the current regulations with risk-based regulations, focused on health and hygiene practices. Ultimately, it recommended the first option, with the possibility that more targeted regulations could be introduced at a later date. The Ministry for Regulation will work with the Ministry of Health on hygiene, disinfection, and sanitation guidance, accompanying WorkSafe's existing guidance. It will also work with the Ministry of Justice to respond to concerns raised by submitters over how alcohol licensing applies to the industry. Once the regulations are revoked, the Ministry for Regulation will be required to report back in two years to see whether the risks were being appropriately managed by the new regime or whether new risk-based regulations should be introduced. The review identified some instances of harm still occurring in the industry, such as ACC claims related to non-workers, complaints to the industry body and complaints to the Commerce Commission. But it said the harm was low-level and existing regulations were not proportionate to the risks. The review was the third sector-wide regulatory review carried out by the Ministry for Regulation, following reviews into early childhood education and agricultural and horticultural products.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
BusinessNZ Welcomes Regulatory Trim
BusinessNZ welcomes today's announcement by Minister for Regulation Hon David Seymour that Cabinet has approved the revocation of the outdated Health (Hairdressers) Regulations 1980. Small business owners in the hairdressing and barbering sector will no longer have to operate under unnecessary regulations, including mandatory chair spacing and regulated lighting levels, with dogs banned from salons and restrictions on refreshments served. With the hairdressing regulations revoked, local authorities will no longer be required to monitor the industry. The industry will still be required to meet health and safety regulations, with any risks managed under general legislation applying to all businesses. This slashing of regulations follows BusinessNZ's October 2024 report Reducing Compliance Burden on New Zealand Businesses, which outlined red tape burdens in a number of sectors including hairdressing and barbering. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Katherine Rich says the outcome for the hairdressing sector bodes well for the Ministry for Regulation's ongoing work reducing unnecessary and restrictive red tape. "BusinessNZ applauds the methodical and evidence-based approach the Ministry for Regulation has taken in this review. It's a model for how to tidy up the rules across other sectors. The engagement with businesses, councils and industry bodies was thorough, and the end result is a commonsense solution that still protects public health while removing duplicative and inconsistent regulation," Mrs Rich said. The Ministry for Regulation's next review will be of the telecommunications sector.
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Regulatory Standards Bill Passes First Reading
Press Release – New Zealand Government In a high-cost economy, regulation isnt neutral – its a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made, says Regulation Minister David Seymour. Minister for Regulation Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the passing of a Bill for transparent and principled lawmaking, with the Regulatory Standards Bill passing its first reading in Parliament today. 'New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To raise productivity, we must allow people to spend more time on productive activities and less time on compliance,' says Mr Seymour. The Regulatory Standards Bill: • provides a benchmark for good legislation through a set of principles of responsible regulation • enables transparent assessment of the consistency of proposed and existing legislation with the principles • establishes a Regulatory Standards Board to independently consider the consistency of proposed and existing legislation, and • strengthens regulatory quality by supporting the Ministry for Regulation in its regulatory oversight role. 'In a nutshell: If red tape is holding us back, because politicians find regulating politically rewarding, then we need to make regulating less rewarding for politicians with more sunlight on their activities. That is how the Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It will finally ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency,' Mr Seymour says. 'Ultimately, this Bill will help the Government achieve its goal of improving New Zealand's productivity by ensuring that regulated parties are regulated by a system which is transparent, has a mechanism for recourse, and holds regulators accountable to the people. 'The law doesn't stop politicians or their officials making bad laws, but it makes it transparent that they're doing it. It makes it easier for voters to identify those responsible for making bad rules. Over time, it will improve the quality of rules we all have to live under by changing how politicians behave. 'In a high-cost economy, regulation isn't neutral – it's a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made.'
