Join us in opposing the Regulatory Standards Bill
It is vital we send a message to Government that we oppose this Bill.
Just like so many people did to stop the Treaty Principles Bill.
Where is the Bill at and how do I have a say?
This Bill has been introduced to Parliament and is now at the Select Committee stage, consultation is now open with public submissions closing at 1pm, Monday 23rd June 2025.
You can find out more information on the Bill, and our concerns below. Here’s a link to where to go to make a submission.
You are welcome to use any of the content on this page in making a submission.
An overview of the Bill
The Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) sets up a framework that will impact future laws in Aotearoa.
It proposes a Board who will have the power to assess proposed laws against a set of standards (the Bill refers to these as principles). The Bill lists the following standards:
- The rule of law
- Liberties
- Taking of property
- Taxes, fees and levies
- Role of courts
- Good law-making
There are some rights referred to in these standards, but it’s important to look deeper because despite references to some rights, the overall framework of the RSB raises significant concerns.
What’s the problem?
1. What’s missing is significant
A big part of the problem is what the RSB leaves out, this includes failing to include Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti).
This is a serious risk, because what’s missing provides us all with important protections and are an enabler of a healthy thriving society.
Te Tiriti
While the RSB references some rights, other important rights are left out
2. The Bill has had inadequate consultation with Māori
The Waitangi Tribunal interim RSB urgent report stated: “there was no targeted consultation with Māori on the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. This is a point the Crown has accepted.” Te Tiriti is a partnership between Māori and the Crown. The Government has a responsibility to work in partnership with Māori and to honour tino rangatiratanga. Further concerns were raised about what had been redacted in the consultation.
3. Ultimately, we’re concerned that this is part of a wider raft of laws, policies and practices stripping away the foundations of our society
We are seeing a sustained, systematic undermining of Te Tiriti and indigenous rights.
This includes undermining the use of Te Reo in Government, plans to remove requirements in early childhood education to support children's right to cultural confidence and teaching about Te Tiriti o Waitangi, removing the requirement to teach tikanga in specific Law School subjects and more.
We are seeing proposals that remove fundamental rights of people in prison, concerning use of urgency in Parliament that in effect stifles debate, including for critical pieces of legislation like pay equity as well as ongoing problems across successive governments with ability to access information through the Official Information Act. There are so many more examples.
We must question the path this is taking us down and take a stand for the type of society we want. Te Tiriti provides our starting point - a strong foundation that offers a place for us all to belong, for respectful relationships to flourish and a just foundation for how we can make decisions together.