Video episode available on my Substack.   

In this episode of Coherent, economist and former Productivity Commissioner Dr Bill Rosenberg joins Melanie Nelson to unpack the deep ideological drivers and real-world risks of the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB). Drawing on decades of work in employment law, productivity policy, and public economics, Bill warns that the RSB is less about good regulation and more about embedding a bill of rights for wealth into New Zealand’s legal system.

Together, they explore:

• The origins of the RSB in the extreme property rights ideology of Richard Epstein
• How the Bill privileges vested interests over public wellbeing and democratic lawmaking
• The dangers of the 'regulatory takings' principle — from undermining public health to obstructing pro-competition reforms
• The risks of cost-benefit analysis being weaponised to erode equity, public services, and environmental protections
• How the Bill could reinforce inequality, deregulation, and privatisation — all while masquerading as transparency
• The broader cultural and economic shift the RSB aims to engineer, echoing 1990s-style neoliberalism
• Practical examples of how the RSB could gut workplace safety laws, make pay equity claims harder to pursue, and chill collective action on climate change
• What better regulation could look like — and why enforcement, equity, and te Tiriti o Waitangi must be part of the conversation

This wide-ranging conversation offers a sharp and accessible critique of one of the most sweeping legislative proposals in recent New Zealand history.

Resources: 

Sector Specific RSB Tool: https://tinyurl.com/RSBTool

Linktree with a wide range of historic and contemporary information on the RSB, including submission guides and builders.

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This is part of a series of in-depth conversations with experts across sectors on the real-world impacts of the Regulatory Standards Bill. If you value independent political analysis, subscribe to my Substack for more interviews, writing, and updates. Free subscribers get regular content. Paid subscriptions really help keep this work going.

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