The Productivity Commission has strongly criticised New Zealand's regulatory system, saying it's inflexible and inconsistent and lacks skilled staff.
In a draft report looking into everything from the Resource Management Act to food standards, the commission says law-makers need to allow more leeway when they introduce regulatory legislation so that regulators don't end up simply ticking boxes.
"We put a lot of detail into primary legislation," says commission chair Murray Sherwin, "which gives Parliament a high degree of control, in a sense, but actually makes it very difficult for frontline legislators to respond to changing circumstances."
The commission also wants the performance of regulators to be more closely monitored.
