Deficiencies in New Zealand Delegated Legislation
30 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 1, 1999
Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Paper Series Palmer Paper No. 60
48 Pages Posted: 21 Jan 2013 Last revised: 24 Feb 2015
Date Written: 1999
Abstract
In this article, the author, a former Minister of Justice and Prime Minister, examines the history and role of statutory regulations. Processes for reviewing regulations, especially through the Parliamentary Regulations Review Select Committee, have been significant in offering protection against undesirable regulation-making. The courts have played a lesser role in this regard and the author calls for them to be "a little more robust in their approach to delegated legislation". The development of a third tier of law-making, by the use of so-called "rules", is worrying, as these rules received the same scrutiny as regulations neither before nor after their making. The author recommends that either we abandon making such rules or we introduce processes which are more formal and transparent. At present, "the coherence of our legal system is threatened".
Keywords: delegated legislation, regulations, New Zealand legislation, legislative process
JEL Classification: K19
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation