David Seymour nominated a lawyer to be on the Regulatory Standards board just weeks before he was named as a candidate for the Act Party.

The Act leader nominated James Christmas to the board at the start of April in his capacity as regulation minister.

The warrant of appointment was destroyed two weeks later, before he was formally named as Act’s candidate for Tāmaki.

Seymour said Christmas withdrew from the board before it was announced or stood up “as was appropriate given his political candidacy”.

“Fortunately, we have a strong Board in place to do the important job of assessing red tape and regulation and helping ensure Kiwis aren’t forced to comply with bad rules,” Seymour said.

Documents proactively released by the Ministry for Regulation show Seymour recommended appointments to Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, which were signed off on April 1 following a March 31 briefing.

On April 13, Christmas withdrew from the board after reports he was trying to secure a nomination to be an Act Party candidate.

A week after that, on April 20, Christmas was formally confirmed as the party’s Tāmaki candidate.

The March briefing stated officials from the Ministry for Regulation identified no current conflicts of interest for the proposed board members.

Seymour’s letter to the Governor-General called for approval to appoint seven members to the board, including James Christmas.

Seymour wanted Christmas appointed for a term starting on May 1, 2026 and ending on April 30, 2030.

The tranche of documents also show the minister wrote to Christmas, including a note stating he had confirmed he was not disqualified from appointment and consented to be appointed.

“As the Board is new, how it will operate is still being finalised, and you will be provided with the final Board operating procedures at your induction,” Seymour wrote.

The letter said board members would be paid a daily rate of $800, excluding GST. The fee was listed as being intended to cover attendance at board meetings and for meeting preparation time.

It was stated Seymour expected the board to meet 11 times a year.

A short summary of members, sent to every candidate Seymour recommended, described Christmas as a barrister with a focus on public law, specifically on the Crown-Māori relationship, environmental law and legislative reform.

It also listed his past roles including work with former Attorney-General Chris Finlayson.

A briefing titled ‘Withdrawal of candidate for appointment to the Regulatory Standards Board’ was sent to Seymour on April 15, 2026 in relation to Christmas - just days after the Herald reported he was aiming to contest the election for the Act party.

On April 13, Christmas advised he would withdraw from the selection process and would not accept board membership.

“My apologies for any administration this causes on your side,” Christmas wrote.

Officials said the Cabinet Office recommended Seymour advise the Governor-General that the appointment of Christmas to the board was not completed and the warrant “has been destroyed” in relation to Government House protocol.

A letter from Seymour to Dame Cindy Kiro was also released as part of the April 15 briefing in relation to Christmas’s wish to withdraw.

Seymour’s letter stated he was advised James Christmas wished to withdraw from consideration.

The minister put forward six names to be on the board, which were approved.

Paul Ridley-Smith has been appointed Chair, alongside other members Ian Chamberlain, Julie Hardaker, Ananish Chaudhuri, Carl Hansen and Nicola Swain.

When announcing the appointments, Seymour said the board would serve as a “strong watchdog” that would ensure the costs of regulations are made clear to voters.

The Regulatory Standards Board will review the quality of Consistency Accountability Statements which show whether a Bill is consistent with the principles of good regulation.

“The Board can also review existing laws. This can be to respond to complaints, or on its own initiative. Its assessments will be published, and the public can pass their own judgment,” Seymour said.

Christmas is contesting the Tāmaki electorate, currently held by Act’s Brooke van Velden, this election, following the announcement of Brooke van Velden’s departure from politics.

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.