Our role
Our role is to strengthen New Zealand’s Regulatory Management System and to improve regulatory quality, including the experience that New Zealanders have of complying with regulation.
The Ministry for Regulation is a small Government agency with a big job to do.
We’re focused on lifting quality across all regulatory systems, and supporting agencies with regulatory responsibilities to align with good practice. It’s important New Zealand has sound regulatory settings to support a modern, open market economy.
We have four key functions:
- ensure the quality of new regulation
- improve the functioning of existing regulatory systems
- raise the capability of those who design and operate regulatory systems
- provide continuous and enduring improvements to the Regulatory Management System.
We want rules and regulations to enable New Zealanders to do more – leading to more productive use of people’s time, and better outcomes for those who want to get things done. We want it to be easier for businesses to innovate, grow and comply, while still ensuring the benefits from regulation that we take for granted won’t change.
Our strategy
Our purpose is “to improve the quality of regulation to enable all New Zealanders to flourish”.
We’re focusing on four outcomes to achieve our purpose.
- Higher quality regulation – Government resources are combined and focused to improve the quality of regulation and the performance of regulatory systems.
- Public trust and confidence – The public have better experiences with, and perceptions of, regulation and regulatory systems.
- Greater transparency – The Government and the public are informed about the purpose, costs, benefits, and outcomes of regulation being used in New Zealand.
- Increased capability – Regulators and regulatory leaders are more capable stewards and operators of regulatory systems.
Read our strategy on a page (93 KB, Pdf)
Our role as a central agency
The Ministry for Regulation was established on 1 March 2024. We’re one of five current central public service agencies, alongside:
- the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission
- the Treasury, and
- the Social Investment Agency.
Central agencies guide the wider public service. For us, our responsibility is to help other government agencies with the rules and regulations that they create and use.