# 2026 Cabinet Committee Profile — Cabinet Expenditure and Regulatory Review Committee

| Field              | Detail                                 |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------- |
| **Type**           | Cabinet Committee Profile              |
| **Status**         | Final                                  |
| **Date**           | June 2026                              |
| **Classification** | Neutral business/campaign intelligence |

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## Committee Details

| Attribute     | Detail                                                                 |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full Name** | Cabinet Expenditure and Regulatory Review Committee (ERR)              |
| **Chair**     | Hon Chris Bishop (National) — Leader of the House, Minister of Housing |
| **Status**    | Standing Cabinet Committee                                             |
| **Source**    | DPMC — cabinet committees page                                         |

## Purpose and Terms of Reference

The Cabinet Expenditure and Regulatory Review Committee considers:

- Government expenditure proposals and spending reviews
- Regulatory proposals and regulatory quality assurance
- Value-for-money assessments of government programmes
- Agency efficiency and cost-effectiveness
- Regulatory impact analysis and regulatory stewardship
- Cross-government expenditure coordination
- Deregulation initiatives

## Members (Where Known)

| Member                   | Role                                           | Party    |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| Hon Chris Bishop (Chair) | Leader of the House, Minister of Housing       | National |
| Hon Nicola Willis        | Minister of Finance                            | National |
| Hon David Seymour        | Deputy PM, Minister for Regulation             | ACT      |
| Hon Louise Upston        | Minister for Social Development and Employment | National |
| Hon Dr Simeon Brown      | Minister of Health                             | National |

_(Note: Full membership may vary. Committee includes senior ministers with significant portfolio spending.)_

## Why This Committee Matters to Seniors

This committee **controls the gate on new spending and regulation** — it decides whether proposals affecting seniors proceed to Cabinet:

| Policy Area                            | Senior Impact                                                     |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New spending on seniors programmes** | Must pass ERR to go to Cabinet for Budget consideration           |
| **Aged care regulation**               | Any new regulation on aged care providers must pass ERR           |
| **Retirement village regulation**      | RV Act reform proposals reviewed here for cost/benefit            |
| **Health spending review**             | Value-for-money assessment of health programmes affecting seniors |
| **Social housing investment**          | Housing expenditure approved or rejected                          |
| **Disability support funding**         | Spending proposals assessed for value                             |
| **Deregulation of seniors services**   | Removal of regulatory protections considered                      |

## Decisions It Shapes

| Decision Type                  | Description                                                         |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New spending approvals**     | Which Budget bids proceed to Cabinet                                |
| **Regulatory impact sign-off** | Whether new regulation is justified based on cost-benefit           |
| **Programme reviews**          | Value-for-money assessments of existing seniors programmes          |
| **Regulatory reform**          | Deregulation or simplification of rules affecting seniors           |
| **Agency efficiency targets**  | Administrative cost reduction affecting service delivery to seniors |

## Documents to Monitor

| Document                        | Source                  | Frequency                     |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Regulatory Impact Statements    | Treasury                | With all regulatory proposals |
| Cabinet ERR papers              | DPMC / agencies         | As released                   |
| Spending review reports         | Treasury / agencies     | Periodic                      |
| Value-for-money assessments     | Treasury                | As produced                   |
| Deregulation announcements      | Minister for Regulation | As announced                  |
| Ministry for Regulation reports | regulation.govt.nz      | Periodic                      |

## Business Implications

| Factor                                    | Implication                                                                         |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Spending constraints on social programmes | May limit new funding for aged care, health                                         |
| Regulatory quality review                 | New regulation on retirement villages/aged care faces high bar                      |
| Deregulation agenda                       | May reduce compliance costs for providers; potential consumer protection trade-offs |
| Efficiency targets for MSD/Health NZ      | May affect service delivery quality for seniors                                     |
| Programme reviews                         | Existing seniors programmes may face cuts or restructuring                          |

## Search Terms for Monitoring

```
"ERR" site:dpmc.govt.nz
"Expenditure and Regulatory" site:beehive.govt.nz
"Bishop" "regulatory" site:beehive.govt.nz
"regulatory impact" "aged care"
"spending review" "health"
"deregulation" site:beehive.govt.nz
```

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_Part of the NZ Seniors Knowledge Base — Political & Campaign Intelligence layer_
_Last updated: June 2026_