Key Insights from April Ministerial Briefing: Hon. David Seymour

Ministerial Briefing Session Overview

On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Business Canterbury hosted its second Ministerial Briefing of the year with Hon. David Seymour, Minister for Regulation and Associate Minister of Health, Finance, Education and Justice.

Key Discussion Points

Here is a summary of the key messages that were communicated from today's session - 

1. The Role of Business in New Zealand Society

The Minister emphasised the importance of celebrating business as a force for good in New Zealand society. He articulated that business represents adults freely cooperating and trading value for value to become stronger together. The Minister highlighted how New Zealand culture often views business success with suspicion rather than celebration, citing the example of Zuru (a NZ company) winning Walmart's Total Consumable Supplier of the Year award receiving no media coverage, while negative stories about the same company generate significant attention. He stressed that this cultural attitude needs to change to:

• Recognise business as a vital contributor to community wellbeing
• Acknowledge that business success benefits the wider community
• Understand that New Zealand's pioneering spirit is aligned with entrepreneurship
  
  

2. Government's Deregulation Programme

Minister Seymour outlined the comprehensive deregulation programme being implemented across government:

• Fixing the CCCFA (Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act) to protect consumers without punishing borrowers
• Legalising granny flats to reduce council interference in small-scale housing solutions
• Rewriting early childhood education regulations to focus only on children's safety and learning quality
• Reviewing health and safety laws to provide clearer guidance on compliance
• Streamlining pathways for agricultural and horticultural products
• Removing outdated regulations in industries like hairdressing and barbering
• Reforming the Resource Management Act with a property rights-based approach

The Minister emphasised that these changes aim to allow people to make decisions based on their own judgement, reducing compliance time and increasing productivity.

3. Regulatory Standards Bill

The Minister discussed the upcoming Regulatory Standards Bill as a significant reform:

• Sets out principles that New Zealanders should expect their government to follow
• Ensures government doesn't restrict liberties or property rights without compensation
• Requires proper justification for new regulations, including cost-benefit analysis
• Creates transparency around regulatory decision-making
• Builds on previous constitutional improvements like the Fiscal Responsibility Act

The Bill has had significant input from the private sector over 20 years and is expected to be passed this year.

4. Housing Affordability and Infrastructure

In response to questions about housing affordability, the Minister outlined several approaches:

• Focus on elasticity of supply rather than just supply itself
• Resource Management Act reform to make consenting land easier
• Building material reforms to reduce construction costs
• Infrastructure funding changes to share more revenue from central government with local government
• Creating incentives for councils to approve development by ensuring it pays for itself

The Minister noted that previous approaches focused too much on demand-side measures rather than addressing supply constraints.

Upcoming Ministerial Briefings

If you are interested in attending further ministerial events, check-out the events below or visit our What's On page for the latest.

• 9 MAY: Nicola Grigg on gender pay equity Learn More →
• 30 MAY: Post-budget lunch Learn More →