Online lotteries for charitable purposes are among the beneficiaries of govt’s assault on red tape
A raft of measures designed to make it easier to do business, or to encourage greater competition, or to run lotteries on-line for charitable purposes, has been posted on the government’s official website in the past 24 hours.
Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee is chuffed that two bills have passed their first reading in Parliament – the Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill.
They make “key changes” to legislation administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment dealing with commerce and consumer affairs; science, innovation and technology; media and communications; justice; immigration; workplace relations and safety; and energy.
“Fixing problems in legislation and regulation that cause barriers to business and our economy is one of the ways this Government delivers better public services,” says Lee.
The Customer and Product Data Bill had its first reading today, too This aims to encourage greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity.
And Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden announced a relaxing of the rules to allow lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, to operate online permanently.
There was news, too, of the Government picking up the pace on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme.
They make “key changes” to legislation administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment dealing with commerce and consumer affairs; science, innovation and technology; media and communications; justice; immigration; workplace relations and safety; and energy.
“Fixing problems in legislation and regulation that cause barriers to business and our economy is one of the ways this Government delivers better public services,” says Lee.
The Customer and Product Data Bill had its first reading today, too This aims to encourage greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity.
And Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden announced a relaxing of the rules to allow lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, to operate online permanently.
There was news, too, of the Government picking up the pace on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme.
Latest from the Beehive
24 JULY 2024
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament.
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.
23 JULY 2024
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently.
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently.
The initiative announced by Brooke van Velden tackles laws which allow fundraising lotteries to operate online only until October 2024, after which they would be required to return to selling tickets via post or in person.
As part of the COVID-19 response, these “class three” lotteries (non-commercial fundraising lotteries with a prize value of over $5000) were exempted from the ban on “remote interactive gambling” which allowed them to sell tickets online, but only until 31 October 2024.
A return to the old rules would have resulted in a loss of customers, additional resources being required to facilitate the lotteries, and tless money going to community purposes.
Van Velden said:
“I look forward to passing a bill to make this exemption permanent before 31 October this year, to give charities certainty so they can continue to fundraise in an efficient and effective way. This minor amendment will make a significant difference to the non-profit organisations which use the revenue from lotteries to carry out their services to the community.”
The Heart Foundation, Coastguard and Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust quickly welcomed the announcement.
“We commend Minister Brooke van Velden for the leadership she has shown to ensure the sustainability of a popular and significant source of charitable income that helps fund vital lifesaving work,” says Heart Foundation Chief Executive Clive Nelson.
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly described the Customer and Product Data Bill, which had its first reading today, as an important step for improving the regulation of digital markets.
“The Bill lays the foundation for ‘open banking’ which will make it easier for innovative start-ups to compete with traditional banks. Greater choice for Kiwi customers should lead to more competition and potentially lower prices.
“Greater competition also encourages investment in new products and services. For example, Australian customers of Sharesies, a New Zealand founded investment app, can give permission to Sharesies to plug into their bank account and round up every transaction to a pre-selected amount and invest the difference.
“This micro approach to investing helps customers automatically build up savings and has far reaching benefits for the economy but is not currently possible in New Zealand without a consumer data right which enables banks to securely share information with third parties.
Bayly also said ‘open electricity’ has the potential to enable considerable customer savings by making it easier for households to measure their power use, compare pricing and swap providers.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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