Government and Policy - Examples

Examples of Tony's work and experience in this field include:

Public policy

• Climate change - Assisted key officials evaluating options for Government policy on climate change
• Commerce Act - Participated in various reviews of competition policy and related legislation
• Companies Act - Worked closely with the Minister of Justice and other officials on changes to key sections of companies legislation
• Compulsory superannuation - Worked with key officials developing options for a compulsory superannuation scheme in New Zealand, with particular focus on the securities market implications
• Electricity reforms - Coordinated advice to the Government, and the execution of its decision, in relation to electricity reforms over several years
• Geothermal wells - Advised Cabinet on the Governments rights and obligations in relation to geothermal wells
• Hazardous waste - Developed and evaluated policy options for allocating liability in relation to existing and future hazardous waste
• NZ Post - Worked with officials advising Cabinet on options for deregulating the NZ postal network
• Regulation of life insurance - Assisted the Law Commission with its analysis and report on the regulation of New Zealand's life insurance industry
• Road pricing - Assisted officials developing options for pricing the use of roads
• Securities disclosure - Led officials implementing the Multi-Party Accord on Superannuation as it related to investment advisers and product disclosure, providing (among other things) for 'investment statements', and more targeted but consistent prospectus requirements
• Securities markets - Led an interdepartmental review of securities markets regulation in New Zealand
• Superannuation Accord - Coordinated officials working on securities market issues for the 1993 Multi-Party Accord on Superannuation
• Treaty policy - Advised the Prime Minister and other Ministers on various issues relating to range of Treaty settlement negotiations, including fisheries, Ngai Tahu, and radio spectrum
• Vertically integrated natural monopolies - Participated in a detailed study of options for regulating vertically integrated natural monopolies in New Zealand, with a particular focus on telecommunications
• West Coast forests - Assisted policy development relating to the use and protection of West Coast indigenous forests

Legal interpretation

• Electricity security of supply - Advised the Electricity Commission on the nature and scope of its legal obligations in relation to security of supply
• Electricity Act - Advised the Electricity Commission on the legal framework within which it operates
• SOE ownership - Advised the Prime Minister and other Ministers on the allocation of powers between an SOE and the Government under the SOE Act
  

Legislative drafting

• Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998 - Led the team that drafted this legislation
• Securities Act and Regulations - Prepared with Richard Clarke QC a set of substantial changes to regulations relating to public offerings of equity, debt and other securities
• Dairy Industry Restructuring Bill 1999 - Coordinated the drafting of this legislation
• Apple and Pear Industry Restructuring Act 1999 - Assisted in drafting this legislation
• Kiwifruit Fruit Industry Restructuring Act 1999 - Assisted in drafting this legislation
• Compulsory Levies Bill - Led the team that prepared this draft Bill, which proposed significant changes to the structure and process by which private sector organisations (mainly agricultural) raise compulsory levies (mainly from primary sector producers)
  

Facilitation

• Project Protector: Ministry of Defence + NZ Defence Forces (2008 - 10): Tony provided strategic advice to the Secretary of Defence in relation to a major contract dispute arising from the Crown’s purchase of seven new ships for the NZ Navy from BAE Systems.
• Project leader and Chairperson, TCF Local Loop Unbundling Working Parties (2006 – 2008): Established under the Telecommunications Carriers’ Forum with representatives from most telecommunications and internet providers in New Zealand, this group developed technical and operational rules for implementing unbundled access to the local copper wire network, and access to ‘naked’ unbundled bitstream services (visit www.tcf.org.nz for more information)
• Electricity Hedge Market Development Group (2004 – 2006): Chaired a group of senior industry executives tasked with developing a package of measures to improve the market for instruments used in managing electricity spot and basis price
• Model Electricity Retail Contracts (2003-04): Chaired a group of industry executives and consumer representatives tasked with developing a set of model electricity retail contracts (before the formation of the Electricity Commission)