Occupational Regulation Guidelines
These guidelines aim to raise awareness of competition issues that can arise in the context of occupational regulation. They provide practical advice for designing and applying occupational regulation to protect the public, without unnecessarily limiting competition. They are designed for polic…
In New Zealand, around 20% of the workforce, across more than 100 occupations, is subject to some form of occupational regulation. That means licences, certifications, registrations or qualifications are required to do the job.
Occupational regulation can protect the public, especially in areas where it's difficult to judge the quality of work or where poor performance could cause serious harm. But if rules are too restrictive they can unintentionally limit competition and innovation, making it difficult for practitioners to supply services and increasing the cost of doing business.
These guidelines will help policy makers, Board and Council members on regulatory bodies, and practitioners to identify the potential impacts of occupational regulation on competition. They also highlight the risks of anti-competitive agreements arising in an occupational regulation setting.
Further information
Contact competition@comcom.govt.nz for further information on these guidelines.
For advice on the design or review of proposals for occupational regulatory regimes, email MBIE competition policy, competition.policy@mbie.govt.nz.
Learn more about avoiding anti-competitive behaviour. If you think a business or person isn't complying with one of the laws we enforce, report it to us.