The 'way over the top regulations' National wants to dump

National wants to reduce red tape if elected in 2020 by scrapping 100 regulations it considers "way over the top", in its first six months.

The party's economic development spokesperson, Todd McClay, said excessive regulations can have an impact on competitiveness and productivity. 

"We need to regularly test whether regulations are still needed, remove barriers to new businesses entering markets and streamline unnecessarily slow and expensive bureaucratic procedures."

National will require future governments and regulatory agencies to undertake at least one regulatory simplification process every three years that looks at reducing the complexity and number of regulations.

McClay pointed to examples of regulations that National considers unnecessary, such as restrictions around building consent under the 2004 Building Act. 

For example, consent is required to build a free-standing carport with a floor area of 25 metres squared, which will be open on all sides. 

National believes the regulation is excessive, particularly in the case of kitset carports that can easily be erected over the course of a weekend.

McClay pointed out another example under the Building Act around conflicting requirements from councils for having a level entry to showers. 

Different councils and building consent authorities have different building consent requirements, standards and fees for building a level access shower, and National would look to simplify it. 

McClay also highlighted a regulation for hairdressers National believes is out-of-date. 

Hairdressers are required to be registered yearly by councils, under the Health (Registration of Premises) Regulations 1966 Act, despite no longer being considered a source of infections. 

National leader Simon Bridges said in a speech on Monday that the party is focused on rebuilding business confidence in New Zealand, by simplifying things. 

In its push for more competition in business, National is also proposing requiring bank account number portability to lower the cost of switching banks. 

"The best thing a government can do to improve competition is relentlessly remove barriers to new competitors entering the market," the party's economic discussion document says. 

New Zealand Bankers' Association chief executive Roger Beaumont suggested the policy was needless as New Zealand currently has "one of the fastest bank switching processes in the world".

"You only need to sign one form with your new bank to have all your accounts and recurring payments information switched to your new bank," he told Newshub.

"You don't even need to talk to your old bank. And it's done within five working days."

An ANZ spokesperson reflected Beaumont's position, telling Newshub New Zealand is "already one of the easiest countries in the world to move banks". 

But he said ANZ would welcome steps to "make it even easier as this gives customers choice and drives innovation by the industry". 

ACT leader David Seymour said he felt National was moving in the "right direction" with its economic outlook, but said the party should be "much bolder". 

"Deleting two old regulations for every new one will predictably lead to longer more complex regulations as bureaucrats seek to fit their meddling into fewer documents."

He gave National a 5/10 for their economic policies. 

Newshub.