On 2023-10-02, JohnO <
johno1234@gmail.com> wrote:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/10/election-2023-labour-wants-to-help-bring-new-supermarket-competitor-to-new-zealand.html
Idiots who want play with taxpayer funds like it is Monopoly money.
Well at last the election seems to be showing some signs of action.
At the bottom of the article we have a name for the Grocery Commisioner
Quote
"Pierre van Heerden, the former head of Mojo Coffee, was earlier this year appointed as New Zealand's first Grocery Commissioner. He is tasked with keeping the current supermarket duopoly honest and blowing the whistle
on any suspected issues.
On top of setting up the Commissioner, Labour has also required major
grocery retailers to open wholesale offerings so other grocery retailers
have direct access to a range of wholesale groceries at competitive prices.
Restrictive land agreements that locked new entrants out of the best
locations have also been banned."
Unquote
Now at
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/133039988/live-christopher-luxon-a-no-go-for-alternative-press-leaders-debate
we have the Grocery Commisioner metioned by Luxon
Quote
"National leader Christopher Luxon says serious penalties are needed if
there's anything anti-competitive found in Sanitarium's decision to not
supply Weet-Bix to The Warehouse.
Sanitarium has cited supply issues for removing the breakfast staple
from shelves at The Warehouse, which has asked the Commerce Commission
to investigate.
Talking to reporters on Monday, Luxon said it was important to find
out what was driving Sanitarium's decision.
That was the point of having a Grocery Commissioner, and having a
strong code with some teeth, "to burrow in and find out what's going on".
"I'm very supportive of them doing a full bore review of what's
happened there," Luxon said.
The Grocery Commissioner needed to understand, "has there been pressure
applied by the retailers on the manufacturer? Is this a decision from the manufacturer alone, independently of the other two retailers that are in
the marketplace?"
There would be a number of variables behind it, Luxon said.
"It underscores that what we want to see is a Grocery Commissioner with
a code that has some real teeth and some real bite to it, to actually
make sure that if there's anything anti-competitive that's gone on here
that it's flushed out, and there are serious penalties for it.
"And if it's still not working we'll go further, down the road."
Unquote.
So this does look like the Grocery Commissioner is hear to stay and both
Labour and National agree on this. It should also allow the Government to
get out of the way and let the Commissioner rule okay. However it seems
that Labour want to be helpful with some taxpayers money.
This changes things and gets the Government tangled up in the market. It is
not like housing, or roads even, where there is not enough supply, there is enough food (supply) to go round, if one has the money.
Keep attacking the anti competitive side and the public will be with the Government all the way. How many votes would this produce at the next
election in 2026?
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