Newmarket & Parnell, 15 March 2024 – This morning the Newmarket Business Association (NBA) and Parnell Business Association (PBA) hosted an exclusive
breakfast with Hon. David Seymour, where he discussed his newly created Ministry of Regulation, coupled with the issues
at the top of his priority list.
The Ministry comes as a result of the ACT party's advocacy for businesses, having campaigned for red-tape cutting and
the slashing of excessive procedures.
Hon. David Seymour, Leader of the Act Party and Deputy Prime Minister in waiting said, “For a long time the Treasury has done the bare minimum quality assurance on regulatory impact statements. We’ll
be aiming to double that team and ramp up capability to improve the quality of New Zealand’s regulatory system.”
Amongst the crowd at the NBA and PBA breakfast were local businesses and landowners which fall under Seymour’s
electorate as the MP of Epsom, all of whom were eager to hear how Seymour and the new Ministry could support them.
George Nathan, General Manager, Nathan Property Group says, “As a commercial building owner we fully support David Seymour’s view for the urgent need for practical rules
relating to preserving the older character buildings in New Zealand. Many of which have stood for over 100 years without
significant damage. Most owners of these buildings cannot afford the extremely high cost of bringing these buildings up
to modern seismic standards, nor can the local council or central government afford to meet these costs. Therefore these
buildings, although part of our cherished New Zealand history, have no future and face demolition or abandonment.”
Although the Ministry of Regulation is still in its early stages, Seymour reiterated that it will oversee the
improvement of regulatory impact assessments for government policy, and investigate inappropriate regulations in certain
sectors and develop regulatory skills across government.
Mark Knoff-Thomas, Chief Executive of Newmarket Business Association, said he’s hopeful for the future of small businesses in New Zealand and its economy.
“It was our absolute pleasure hosting Hon. David Seymour this morning. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy
and this event provided better insights and understanding of the regulatory improvements that are on the horizon,” he
concluded.