UK's PM backs Finance Minister after tearful appearance
The United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has been forced to publicly back his finance minister after she appeared upset in Parliament. BBC correspondent Rob Watson spoke to Corin Dann.
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Regulatory Standards Bill Could Be Barrier For Māori Housing
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has warned that the Regulatory Standards Bill could stymie progress in enabling papakāinga, or Māori housing, documents show. A ministry official also flagged concerns the legislation could make it harder for ministers to do their jobs, and warned the reach of the proposed law - and the minister-appointed board - seemed "disproportionate to the authority of Parliament". Regulations Minister David Seymour rejected the criticism, saying the ministry should be "leading the charge to cut through this bureaucracy so more homes can be built". The Regulatory Standards Bill is non-binding on Parliament but proposes a set of principles MPs and officials would have to consider when designing regulation. It also would set up a board, appointed by the minister, to examine current and future laws' consistency with those principles, as well as requiring regular reviews of all regulations. In its feedback, the housing ministry raised concern about the potential for individual property rights to be elevated over and above collective rights. "...the lack of provision for collective rights/rangatiratanga and the indicated shift towards Individual rights, in a way that is not currently in New Zealand's constitution, could impact the way we can develop policy and legislation with significant negative impacts on Māori housing outcomes," it said. The ministry said one of the proposed principles - dealing with taxes, fees, and levies - could hinder progress on Māori-led housing projects. "If this principle is imposed over regulation, we are concerned it could be misaligned with the current approaches to whenua Māori, lead to greater fragmentation of land/whenua Maōri, be a barrier to pooling resources for collective good and further entrench the negative housing outcomes that currently exist." The government in May announced plans to make it easier to consent papakāinga. However, funding for the Whai Kāinga, Whai Oranga housing fund has also been cut. In a statement to RNZ, a spokesperson for Seymour said if the Regulation Standards Bill had been in place years ago, it could have prevented "much of the pointless red tape" that slows down building and consenting. "New Zealand faces a serious housing crisis. Anyone who has tried to build a home knows the delays and costs caused by red tape," the spokesperson said. "I'd have thought the Ministry for Housing would be leading the charge to cut through this bureaucracy so more homes can be built." An FAQ document prepared by Seymour's office also rejected the idea that the bill would favour individual rights over collective ones, saying it preserved the status quo "that collective Parliamentary law can trump all individual rights to personal autonomy and possessions". The document did not specify, however, how individual property rights would be considered compared to collective property rights by officials operating under the new regime. The housing ministry also warned that requiring reviews of all secondary legislation in reviews - without exemption - would add to the government's workload. To that, Seymour was unapologetic: "We're aware the public service doesn't like this law. Yes, it makes more work for them, justifying laws that interfere in people's lives. Here's the thing: If the public service think being required to justify their laws is a faff, imagine what it's like for the public they have to serve who are obliged to follow them." The ministry also made the case that the Treaty of Waitangi "should be featured as a relevant consideration" among the principles. But the FAQ, from Seymour's office, said the Treaty was excluded because the bill was focused on the quality of regulations, not Treaty obligations. "As with compliance with international obligations, legal obligations under Treaty settlements are a given. A central part of the RSB is to protect existing legal rights from unprincipled appropriation," it said. The ministry also said the ability for the proposed Regulatory Standards Board - appointed by the Regulations Minister, currently Seymour - to carry out reviews of regulations ahead of agencies' own regular reviews of legislation "would not be the most effective use of the board's time". Seymour has previously defended the extra cost and workload, saying the cost was about 2 percent of the policy work currently done across the government. "If it costs $20 million just to check the regulations, imagine the cost to all the poor buggers out there who have to comply with all this crap," he said. Concerns raised by official over 'disproportionate' powers In preparation for providing feedback on the Cabinet paper in October, an MHUD official warned that giving the Regulation Minister power to set the terms of regulatory reviews could interfere with the work of other ministers. "The power of the Minister of Regulation to initiate regulatory review and set terms of reference gives considerable power and will affect the ability of a portfolio minister to advance their work," the official said. "There should be elements of mutual agreement, or consultation required, or some detail about the threshold for the Minister to initiate a review (eg requiring an Order in Council)." The official also questioned whether a board chosen by the minister should have so much influence, saying it seemed "disproportionate compared to the authority of Parliament". They pointed out there was already a process - through the Regulatory Review Committee and the Legislation Act - that allowed MPs to examine regulations if concerns were raised. In response, Seymour's spokesperson said the bureaucrats "may want to familiarise themselves" with a set of rules, known as Legislative Guidelines, which departments are already required to follow, including the principles of property rights, individual liberty, and the rule of law. "The only difference is that under the Regulatory Standards Bill, these principles would become Parliamentary law, not just Cabinet guidance that some departments clearly ignore."
RNZ News
7 hours ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks from Chiptech, Christchurch
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today visited the Christchurch factory of Chiptech, a New Zealand company specialising in personal medical alarms. During Luxon's April visit to the United Kingdom , the company announced a new project to improve healthcare innovation in the UK and Europe at high-profile reception with the PM in London. Chiptech entered the UK market in 2019 and its UK office is based in Lancaster. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
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Youth Organisations And Youth MPs Call For Change After Censorship At Youth Parliament 2025
Today, Youth MPs, youth organisations, and youth councils from across Aotearoa have released an open letter expressing deep concern about recent decisions made at Youth Parliament 2025 that they say restricted and censored rangatahi voices. The open letter highlights the cancellation of live-streaming, the removal of the mock bill and Lived Experience Groups, and the editing of Youth MP speeches as decisions that, while varied in form, all resulted in the same outcome: limiting the power and authenticity of youth voice in a space meant to uplift it. 'This kōrero was driven by Youth MPs,' says Lincoln, Make It 16 member and Youth MP, 'We've simply supported them to share what many were feeling. This is part of a wider systemic pattern of youth voices being filtered or dismissed in political spaces.' ' Young people are not a token presence. We deserve to be present where power is held not just for appearances, but because our lived experiences and insights matter,' says Youth MP Ruby Love-Smith, 'This is a moment to reflect and do better.' 'Even though the feedback on speeches was framed as optional, the way it was delivered didn't acknowledge the power imbalance,' says Sam, Make It 16 member and Youth MP. 'For many of us, especially for those new to this space, it felt like there was no real choice but to comply. That's not how you build confidence in young people, that's how you make them doubt themselves.' ' We want to work alongside MYD, Parliament, and others to ensure Youth Parliament truly lives up to its purpose, ' says Thomas Brocherie, Co-Director of Make It 16. 'This year's Youth MPs showed just how capable and committed young people are, delivering powerful speeches on issues like mental health, education, Te Tiriti, and climate change. But the decisions made around Youth Parliament left many rangatahi second-guessing themselves in a space that should have encouraged confidence rather than caution.' Make It 16 emphasises that this open letter is not an attack on any political party, public servant, or the Ministry of Youth Development, but a call for a commitment to genuine youth representation that reflects the real voices and aspirations of rangatahi across Aotearoa. In an email sharing the open letter to MYD, Make It 16 has said, 'We stand in solidarity with the Youth MPs who had the courage to speak up as their voices deserve to be heard. We hope this can be a turning point, and we hope this open letter is taken as an invitation to work together.' The open letter outlines four key calls to action for future Youth Parliaments: Restore live streaming and ensure public access to speeches. Reinstate Lived Experience Groups and the Mock Bill process to reflect diverse youth experiences. End pre-speech censorship, especially of real-world issues. Embed rangatahi-led design and accountability into all stages of Youth Parliament. 'This is a moment to reflect and improve,' says Thomas Brocherie. 'Because ultimately, this kōrero is bigger than just Youth Parliament. It's about how our democracy treats young people throughout these systems. We're inviting MYD and the government to work with us to create spaces like Youth Parliament that genuinely serve, support, and empower rangatahi to lead.'
