Ministry for Regulation news – June 2026

Kia ora

As we reach the midpoint of the year, our focus has been on turning the idea of better regulation into practical improvements, supporting agencies as new requirements and guidance are introduced and building a clearer picture of how the system works overall.

Last month we released the first comprehensive map of New Zealand’s regulatory landscape. This has been a significant piece of work and an important milestone for the Ministry. For the first time, we have a shared view of how regulation is structured, giving us all a much stronger foundation to identify and deliver improvements over time.

We are also continuing to build capability across government. New guidance on the use of artificial intelligence and regulatory sandboxes is helping agencies respond to emerging technologies in a way that is practical, transparent, and aligned with good regulatory practice. Alongside this, our policy teams have been working hard to release new guidance ahead of 1 July when the new requirements of the Regulatory Standards Act come into force.

Our sector reviews are making good progress. The review of residential and small to medium-scale solar is now underway, with strong engagement across the sector and over 200 responses to our survey. This is giving us a clearer picture of the issues, including the complexity and frustration people are experiencing with installation processes. At the same time, new industrial hemp regulations are now in force, marking a significant milestone and introducing a more proportionate and practical framework for the sector.

Taken together, this work reflects our ongoing focus on improving how regulation works in practice for people, businesses and communities. We will keep building on this work in the second half of the year and continue to focus on where we can make the most difference.

If you have perspectives or experiences you’d like to share, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Ngā mihi nui
Gráinne Moss
Secretary for Regulation and Chief Executive
Ministry for Regulation

New AI guidance for regulators

New guidance is now available to support the responsible use of artificial intelligence across regulatory systems. It provides practical advice to help regulators assess opportunities and risks, and apply AI in a way that is transparent, accountable, and aligned with good regulatory practice.

The guidance is part of a broader effort to build capability and confidence across government, helping regulators respond to emerging technologies while maintaining trust and integrity.

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Regulatory sandbox guidance

We’ve launched regulatory sandbox guidance to support regulators to safely test new ideas, products, and services in a controlled environment. The sandbox enables regulators and innovators to explore how new approaches work in practice while maintaining appropriate oversight.

By supporting real-world testing and learning, a sandbox helps regulators better understand impacts, refine regulatory settings, and make more informed decisions before wider implementation.

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The state of New Zealand’s regulatory systems

Last month we released the first comprehensive map of New Zealand’s regulatory landscape. It brings together information from across multiple sources and shows, for the first time, how regulation fits together.

The mapping shows the scale of the system, identifying more than 260 organisations carrying out regulatory functions across New Zealand.  It provides a clear picture of what regulation exists, how it is organised, and who is responsible for it across central and local government.

This is a foundational piece of work. It doesn’t rate agencies or make recommendations. It creates a shared evidence base to support better decision-making and improvements.

The Ministry will now build on this work to identify where pressures and complexity are greatest and where effort should be focused to make improvements.

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Solar review launched to cut cost and complexity

Our review of residential and small to medium-scale solar is well underway, with strong engagement across the sector.

The review is examining how current rules operate in practice and where unnecessary cost, delay, and complexity can be reduced for households and businesses installing solar. 

Early feedback highlights opportunities to simplify approval processes and ensure regulatory requirements are more proportionate for low-risk installations, with wider engagement underway to understand the issues and potential solutions more deeply. 

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Reducing red tape for industrial hemp

The Government’s new industrial hemp regulations are now in force, marking a significant milestone following our review of the sector. 

The changes replace a restrictive licensing regime with a more practical, notification-based approach, reducing compliance costs and making it easier for growers and businesses to operate. 

This work is expected to deliver a net public benefit of around $7.5 million over 10 years, with benefits increasing over time. 

We are grateful to the many stakeholders across the hemp and medicinal cannabis sectors who engaged constructively throughout the review. Your insights were critical in shaping a more proportionate, growth-focused regulatory framework for New Zealand.

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New requirements and guidance to support the implementation of the Regulatory Standards Act

We’ve updated our website to bring together new requirements and practical guidance for developing policy and legislation. The refreshed content makes it easier to understand what’s expected under the Regulatory Standards Act, and associated requirements (such as for impact analysis for regulatory proposals).

In addition, the Minister for Regulation and the Attorney-General have issued guidance under section 26 of the Regulatory Standards Act, for agencies to use in developing Consistency Accountability Statements (CASs) and plans for review of existing legislation. 

CASs confirm that legislation has been reviewed, by the agency, for consistency with the Act’s principles of responsible regulation, and to identify any inconsistencies with the principles. We will provide a second tranche of guidance to support agencies to maintain existing legislation shortly.

Content is organised around what you need to do, with clear steps to guide you through the process of developing regulation.

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