This special issue of Policy Quarterly has five articles on aspects of government regulation in New Zealand, five articles on various topical policy issues from a range of (mostly academic) contributors, and three articles based on student research internships.

Several decisions have been taken over the past few months that aim to professionalise the regulatory community in New Zealand.

Regulatory coherence has over the past four years become a term of art for domestic regulatory systems which interface seamlessly with the systems of other countries. And yet a precise or at least agreed definition remains elusive and descriptions often confuse ends and means. This...

Emphasising more effective law rather than more law, this paper provides a perspective from within government that argues for a better appreciation of what is required to ensure that regulation is effective in a New Zealand context.