#7: MP Duncan Webb on the RSB: How Property Rights Trump People, Prices, and Democracy

Video episode available on my Substack.

Labour MP and regulation spokesperson Duncan Webb joins the Coherent podcast to sound the alarm on the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) — a piece of legislation he describes as a “dangerous power grab” and a fundamental shift in how law will be made in New Zealand.

In this wide-ranging and accessible conversation, Webb explains how the Bill elevates property rights above all else, allowing an unelected board — appointed by David Seymour — to scrutinise all new and existing laws through a narrow ideological lens.

He unpacks what that could mean for everything from supermarket prices and the cost of living, to forest protection, workers’ rights, infant formula labelling, and pay equity. The consequences, he says, are profound: ordinary New Zealanders could end up footing the bill — literally — for any regulation that affects corporate profits.

We talk about:

• Why the RSB would privilege corporate property rights over public health, equity, and the environment
• What’s missing from the Bill — and why those “blank spaces” matter
• The risk of compensation being required for public-interest regulation
• How the Bill creates a hierarchy of oversight, with David Seymour at the top
• The constitutional implications, and how they’ve been downplayed
• Why Labour, the Greens, and even NZ First are uneasy — and what it might take to shift National’s stance
• The role of the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee, and why their warnings should be taken seriously
• Why public submissions are vital — and powerful, regardless of expertise

Duncan also reflects on how to break through party politics and reach across the aisle — urging listeners to ask themselves and others: what should guide our lawmaking? Who should it protect? And who stands to lose if we get this wrong?

Resources: 

Link to the Sector-Specific RSB Tool mentioned in the interview: https://tinyurl.com/RSBTool

Subscribe for more
This is part of a series of in-depth conversations with experts across sectors on the real-world impacts of the Regulatory Standards Bill. If you value independent political analysis, subscribe to my Substack for more interviews, writing, and updates. Free subscribers get regular content. Paid subscriptions really help keep this work going.

You can also buy me a coffee!