Bold policy moves urgently needed for NZ's future
In ordinary times, Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden's pay-equity legislation would be an outrage.
The amendments remove rights previously recognised by Parliament and retrospectively scuttle existing legal
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Newsroom
3 hours ago
- Newsroom
Overseas investment reforms may create more uncertainty, law firms warn
The coalition Government's overhaul of the overseas investment regime could create more uncertainty for investors, law firms have warned. Associate Finance Minister and Act leader David Seymour is overseeing a suite of changes to the Overseas Investment Act, aimed at streamlining the existing system and bringing more foreign investment into the country.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Cabinet paper leak suggests Minister Nicole McKee's U-turn on alcohol sales reform
Associate Justice Minister, ACT's Nicole McKee, is reforming the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A leaked Cabinet paper shows the government was planning to restrict the hours bottle stores and supermarkets could sell alcohol but then backed away to focus on reforms more friendly to the alcohol industry. The Associate Justice Minister - ACT's Nicole McKee - is reforming the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and had said that part of her focus would be reducing alcohol harm, which currently costs the country $9.1 billion a year. But documents leaked to RNZ, including a draft Cabinet paper, suggest the minister is now switching the focus of her reforms to making business easier for the alcohol industry. The documents show McKee initially proposed to change off-licence sale hours, from the current 7am to 11pm, to only allow alcohol sales between 9am and 9pm. The draft Cabinet paper says restricting opening hours could have had a major impact on violent crime - preventing 2400 "violent victimisations" each year. But that move has now been axed. A Ministry of Justice email, also leaked to RNZ, shows justice officials "were directed by Minister McKee to proceed with speed to lodge a revised Cabinet paper" to go before a Cabinet committee on 13 August. "The focus of the paper had changed during negotiations - it is now on reducing regulatory burden with some of the harm reduction measures no longer included - e.g. reducing maximum default trading hours." McKee told RNZ it was regrettable her draft Cabinet paper was leaked. "I won't be discussing a few cherry-picked parts of a draft paper through the media before I've even had an opportunity to discuss the issue with my Cabinet colleagues," she said in a statement to RNZ. "I am extremely disappointed that a draft Cabinet paper has been shared with media. This undermines the integrity of the public service and erodes New Zealanders' trust in public servants." The draft Cabinet paper says restricting opening hours could have had a major impact on violent crime. Photo: RNZ The leaks show that in an early version of her Cabinet paper, McKee proposed to restrict bottle store opening hours to between 9am and 9pm in a bid to reduce violent crime. "I am focused on hazardous drinking which can lead to violent crime. Evidence shows a strong correlation between later opening hours for off-licenses and violent crime," the Cabinet paper originally said. "Ministry of Justice analysis indicates that bringing forward the closing hour to 9pm could see up to 2400 fewer violent victimisations annually." The paper said restricting opening hours would reduce sales revenue for off-licences, as about 20 percent of sales were made between 8pm and 11pm and about 2 percent before 9am. The paper originally said the impacts on business had been "weighed carefully" against the benefits of reducing violent crime. But the leaks show this was changed in a later version. "I am not proposing any changes to the maximum trading hours for license holders," McKee wrote in the updated paper, noting Auckland and Christchurch had already set a 9pm closing time under their Local Alcohol Policies. "I consider that this is sufficient to manage concerns around license hours." McKee would not be interviewed by RNZ, but confirmed her reforms would now focus on making it easier for businesses in the alcohol industry. "My focus is on reducing red tape restricting businesses and New Zealanders who play by the rules. The law Labour left us with is a mess," she said. The draft Cabinet paper obtained by RNZ shows McKee is now proposing to make it easier for clubs and bars to serve alcohol outside normal trading hours when screening major sport or cultural events. McKee's Cabinet paper also proposes giving the alcohol industry more power when faced with objections to liquor licenses. The paper says changes in 2023 allowed any person or group to oppose a liquor license but that McKee wants to overturn this so objections only come from the community impacted. "To better balance community voice and impacts on business I seek agreement to only allow objections to licensing applications by people or groups and organisations in the same territorial authority as the premises." There are also moves to protect businesses impacted by changes to a council's Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) - where communities determine when and how alcohol is sold. "To protect existing businesses if a LAP is adopted or amended I also seek agreement to prevent a DLC (District Licensing Committee) from declining a renewal application if the license would be inconsistent with the relevant LAP." The changes would also give applicants for a liquor license a right of reply to objections received in DLC hearings. Andrew Galloway. Photo: supplied Andrew Galloway, executive director of Alcohol Healthwatch, funded by the Ministry of Health, said reducing trading hours for bottlestores and supermarkets would have had a major impact on reducing alcohol harm. "Off-licences sell over 80 percent of alcohol in Aotearoa and these off-licenses are over-concentrated in the most deprived areas. Restricting off-license supply of alcohol would be especially important in reducing alcohol-related harm." Galloway said that when he became aware the government was looking at restricting off-license trading hours he said to his team "we should prepare for a U-turn" once industry lobbying swung into action. "We will continue to miss every meaningful opportunity to reduce or prevent alcohol harm in New Zealand if we continue to allow unbridled access to power for harmful commodity industries." 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Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
Health And Safety Reform: Sector-Specific Updates Signal Targeted Regulatory Relief
As part of the Government's ongoing reform of New Zealand's health and safety regulatory framework, the Minister for the New Zealand Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon Brooke van Velden, has announced a new tranche of health and safety reforms, targeting specific industry sectors. The Minister indicated that the announced changes are aimed at improving clarity, reducing unnecessary compliance burdens, and better aligning regulations with real-world risks across several key sectors. This tranche of announcements follows earlier signals from the Government regarding broader legislative reform, which is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this year, with new legislation enacted ahead of the next election. In contrast to the first suite of announcements, this tranche demonstrates an intention to consult with identified sectors to develop or amend safety regulations or approved codes of practices in identified areas. Key features of the announcements Construction The Minister's announcement on 28 July 2025 signalled the intention to consult with the construction industry to create clearer rules and prequalification guidance to support construction. Specifically, the Minister highlighted possible changes for working at heights, the use of scaffolding and to simplify the complexity of prequalification systems, to better align health and safety requirements with actual site risks. The Government aims to, following consultation with the construction sector, introduce a risk-based hierarchy of controls for working at height, to help businesses select appropriate safety measures based on the specific hazards of each task. It is hoped this approach will reduce unnecessary use of scaffolding, particularly in low-risk situations. The Government has also signalled the introduction of revised prequalification guidance to improve consistency across the sector. As part of this work, the Minister has asked WorkSafe to collaborate with industry to develop free-to-use templates that support a more consistent and streamlined approach. Additionally, work is underway to clarify overlapping duties on shared worksites through an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP), which is to be developed by WorkSafe. This decision is aimed at helping businesses better understand when coordination with other contractors is required, and how responsibilities should be managed in practice. Agriculture In the 29 July 2025 announcement, the Minister indicated the Government would be consulting with the agriculture sector on the thresholds for members of the family to be involved in chores on the family farm, while ensuring safety is not compromised. In addition, the Government has also requested WorkSafe develop two new ACoPs in consultation with the agricultural sector, to reflect how modern farms operate and to support practical compliance. The first will provide clearer guidance on roles and responsibilities in agriculture, particularly around overlapping duties and PCBU obligations when multiple PCBUs are working on a farm. The second will focus on the safe use of farm vehicles and machinery, including quad bikes, tractors, side-by-sides, and two-wheel motorbikes. As part of broader reform, the Government is also proposing changes to the ACoP model itself. While compliance with ACoPs is currently voluntary, the proposed change would give greater assurance that following an ACoP is sufficient to meet health and safety duties under the Heath and Safety at Work Act 2015 (the HSW Act). Manufacturing On 30 July 2025, the Minister announced that the Government will consult on how to simplify machine guarding rules, aiming to replace 'outdated requirements' with a risk-based approach. The Minister signalled that these changes are expected to benefit both manufacturers and other sectors that rely on machinery, including agriculture, horticulture, construction, and food processing. Additionally, the Minister noted that the Government will review workplace exposure standards for substances such as soft wood dust, hard wood dust, and welding fumes. The review aims to improve clarity and ensure that exposure limits are practical. Science and technology On 31 July 2025, the Minister announced that the Government will consult on changes aimed at reducing regulatory complexity and better supporting innovation across the science and technology sectors for growth. The proposed changes will seek to match hazardous substances requirements for laboratories with their actual risk. It is not yet clear what form these requirements will take. A particular focus is the introduction of reforms that support the development and use of hydrogen technologies, including: enabling the use of internationally accepted hydrogen storage containers; establishing safety requirements for cryogenic liquid hydrogen; and introducing standards for hydrogen filling stations and dispensers. These reforms are intended to create a more enabling regulatory environment, in line with the Government's Hydrogen Action Plan. Broader consultation is underway to ensure the regulations reflect the needs of researchers, innovators, and industry stakeholders. Adventure and events In the last announcement on 1 August 2025, the Minster announced the Government would be consulting on health and safety regulations in the recreation and entertainment sectors to reduce unnecessary compliance pressure, while maintaining safety outcomes. Following consultation, it is intended that changes would be made to the Adventure Activities Regulations and Amusement Device Regulations, with the aim of reducing compliance costs for recreation providers, event organisers, and volunteer-led groups. One of the key proposals involves refining the definition of 'adventure activities' to distinguish between high-risk and low-risk recreational offerings. This change seeks to reduce compliance obligations for operators whose activities pose minimal safety risks. The Government is also proposing updates to the Amusement Device Regulations to focus council permitting requirements on transportable high-risk amusement devices. In contrast, fixed or low-risk devices would be exempt from these requirements. The proposed reforms aim to clarify health and safety obligations for volunteer organisations, especially those involved in outdoor recreation or emergency response, intending to reduce administrative complexity. Our view Given intended consultation with industry, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the announced reforms. However it is clear that the Government is seeking to save time and cost for businesses by reducing 'red tape' and 'mak[ing] it easier to do business'. At a high-level, these sector-specific updates reflect a desire to move towards a risk-based regulatory approach and a willingness to respond to industry feedback. However, while the intended areas of reform offer some clarification and modest compliance relief, they appear to fall short of delivering the clarity many stakeholders have been calling for. While it is promising to see a continued focus on regulation in areas where the greatest risk is presented, some of these reforms, such as those around guarding, relate to areas where significant risk is present and where New Zealand has been susceptible to poor health and safety performance. From a practical standpoint, how these reforms are implemented will be critical. Legislative changes alone will not be enough, and clear guidance, consistent support and enforcement, and meaningful engagement with industry will be essential to ensure that the intended benefits are realised 'on the ground'. A continued programme of keeping these standards up to date to align with best practice will also be vital, to ensure New Zealand does not fall further behind its Australian and English counterparts in health and safety performance. Nonetheless, businesses should take this opportunity to engage with the consultation processes to ensure the input and feedback required is received to inform the development of these codes of practice and regulation. We will continue to watch with interest as the Government continues its work to improve health and safety, and as Cabinet makes decisions on other aspects of the reform.
