Pushback against the Really Shockingly Bad power-grab attacking Māori, women and democracy

 The Regulatory Standards Bill is a deliberately boring name – but it is nothing short of constitutional warfare. It is an extremist move to steal power away from  Māori, women and democracy (that’s all of us)  in order to give even more power to corporations  & their wealthy owners. 

What is and is not in the RSB? 

• Enforcement of pro-corporate, anti-community, anti-environmental “principles” on all laws. The principles prioritise individual property (including businesses) over public good, formal equality between individuals over social equity, and put restrictions on the power of governments to raise taxes, make investments and support people (search “principles” in the RSB’s explanatory note). 

• An unelected board will scrutinise all future bills to ensure compliance with (their likely-strict interpretation) of the Really Shockingly Bad principles. 

• Corporates will be able to sue the govt if they think laws do not comply with the principles – if the new law means their profits will go down, for example. 

Therefore, lawmakers will comply with corporate interests out of fear. 

What about Te Tiriti? 

• The aim of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is to ensure all people can thrive in Aotearoa NZ – the RSB is the complete opposite. It prioritises the wealthiest 0.1%.  

• Te Tiriti is not in the RSB at all – a major and serious breach of the Crown’s responsibilities.  It will not be possible for future laws to uphold te Tiriti if they have to prioritise the RSB principles. 

• The RSB will also undermine the recognition and inclusion of Te Tiriti and its principles in New Zealand’s current laws.

• The Regulatory Standards Board could override Te Tiriti and the Bill of Rights Act; a major constitutional shift.  This would remove significant safeguards for the wellbeing of all people in Aotearoa New Zealand.   

•  Colonisation has led to significant inequalities for Māori in wellbeing indicators. Because Te Tiriti is excluded –the Bill will be a significant barrier to equity for Māori. 

What impacts will the RSB have? 

It will embed a lot of what the current govt is enforcing on us –  and make it even worse and long-term:   

• Treaty protections eliminated (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Our votes matter less (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Pay equity laws further undermined (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Union rights attacked; workplace protections removed (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Education funding cut, less opportunity for young people (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Even more monoculturalism – less safety: cultural supports cut for multiple communities (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists) 

• Even less support for disabled whānau (with no hope of reversal while the RSB exists)  

And lots of important new policy won’t ever become reality. 

How do we stop it? 

People power! You can assist with three easy steps in 20 mins : 

1. Put in a short submission by 1pm Monday 23 June  (portal here) – it can be really brief, like one line – as long as you write some of it in your own words. Include up the top: “I oppose this bill”.  Give one or two reasons why – you don’t have to address everything. 
   We’re looking for this bill to be terminated – no amendments, no compromise, no amendments can fix constitutional warfare.
   If you might like to speak directly to the select committee, check the box to indicate interest in making an oral submission (see our guide to making oral submissions here)
2. Write to MPs:
   More effective if you’re polite!  
   You can snail mail MPs for free c/o Parliament Buildings, Wellington. And/or email: the form is firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz (include hyphens for double-barrelled names)
   a. Email each select committee member individually with your submission – particularly as AI (rather than people) is going to read the submissions in the portal, despite opposition. List here: Cameron Brewer (Chair, National); Ryan Hamilton (National); Jamie Arbuckle (NZ First); Dan Bidois (National); Barbara Edmonds (Labour); Mariameno Kapa-Kingi (Te Pāti Māori; Nancy Lu (National); Deborah Russell (Labour); Todd Stephenson (ACT); Chloe Swarbrick (Greens); Megan Woods (Labour)
   b. Then email your submission to your local MPs (including any list MPs in your area) telling them you live in their electorate and saying how concerned you are about the RSB. Ask opposition MPs to commit NOW to reversing the RSB and reviewing all decisions made on its basis, if it becomes law.
   c. Email the leaders of the opposition parties too – especially Labour – requesting the same thing: commit now to RSB reversal.
3. Encourage your whānau and friends to be on the good side of history and make submissions too! It’s important that we get lots of submissions in – they can all be really short. 

If you would like further information, resources and submission ideas, click here for Tania Waikato’s amazing explainers that we’ve drawn on hugely for this post. Mauri ora! 

Thanks for being a part of the people’s movement working to protect human rights and democracy! Karawhiua!

 Picture: Waitangi Day Solidarity Hīkoi, Pukeahu, Te Whanganui-A-Tara Wellington 2024, Pakoire wikimedia