Requiring supermarkets to allow smaller competitors to buy from their wholesale operations is a good step that needs to be backed with clear rules that guarantee fair prices right now and broader action to address skyrocketing food prices, the Green Party says.

The Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure that as a nation which produces enough food to feed 40 million people, everyone in New Zealand can put an abundance of nourishing, nutritious kai on the table.  

The right to food must be the core driver of Government action to reign in unfair behaviour by supermarkets, the Green Party says.

Stats NZ’s monthly rental and food price indexes released today continue to show that over the last 12 months the essentials have gotten increasingly expensive for thousands of New Zealanders.

The Green Party is calling on the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, David Clark to break up the supermarket duopoly.

Supporting farmers markets, local suppliers, and community food initiatives should lead the way when it comes to guaranteeing fairer prices and access to fresh food for everyone.

The Green Party welcomes the findings of the Commerce Commission’s report on competition in the retail grocery sector, which takes aim at the duopoly formed by Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs.

The Green Party believes everyone has a right to enough affordable food. We would ensure the needs of New Zealanders are met by creating a national food strategy, and by setting our own distinct standards. We value transparent, safe and sustainable food systems that provide for adequate food labelling, appropriate safety measures, and production that actively supports a healthy environment. The Green Party also envisions a decolonised food industry and the reduction of inequities faced by tangata whenua in regards...

“I congratulate Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi, for deciding to introduce an amendment to cap interest rates on high cost loans”, Green Party spokesperson on Consumer Affairs Gareth Hughes said today.

Supermarkets should be the next industry to come under scrutiny once the law has passed that allows for the Commerce Commission to properly investigate petrol companies in New Zealand, says Green Party MP Gareth Hughes.