National's conditional Foodstuffs split plan draws sharp business criticism
National says if re-elected it would legislate to split Kiwi-owned Foodstuffs, but only after a Commerce Commission investigation into whether it benefits consumers.
The commitment is conditional. The investigation comes first. Legislation follows only if that test is met.
The party says it wants to force Foodstuffs to split into two genuinely separate nationwide grocery operations, according to the NZ Herald NZ Herald. That outcome would leave New Zealand with three nationwide supermarket chains, including Pak'nSave and New World/Four Square as separate chains RNZ.
BusinessNZ has criticised the proposal RNZ. Its director of advocacy, Catherine Beard, described the plan as "alarming" and "very concerning". She said it "sends a chilling signal to businesses across New Zealand that the Government can break up businesses."
Beard likened the proposal to Labour's ban on offshore oil and gas exploration. She did not elaborate further in the reported comments.
The Employers and Manufacturers Association has also criticised the plan. Its head of advocacy, Alan McDonald, said it "undermines the foundations of business and private property rights." He said the proposal is "not quite nationalising a private business but too close for comfort" and called it a "terrible signal when trying to attract international investment."
Business New Zealand characterises the election proposal as pursuing the structural separation of Foodstuffs BusinessDesk.
The broader context here is the instrument National has chosen. Structural separation is a regulatory term. It means legislated division of an existing firm into independent operations. It is not a voluntary demerger. It is not a Commerce Commission enforcement action under existing competition law. It would require new legislation, passed by Parliament, after the proposed investigation.
Looking at what this means for a campaign audience, the conditional design does two things at once. It gives National a firm pledge to act on grocery competition. It also gives it a process shield. The Commerce Commission test provides an evidentiary step before Parliament is asked to legislate. For officials and advisers, that sequence will matter more than the rhetoric. Scope, terms of reference, threshold for consumer benefit, and legislative design would all need to be defined.
In my view, the reaction from BusinessNZ and the EMA is the more immediate political problem for National to manage. A centre-right party proposing legislated separation of a privately owned, Kiwi-owned cooperative is unusual territory. Beard and McDonald have framed it in property rights and investment terms. That language is deliberate. It speaks to National's own business constituency and to international investors. Whether that criticism shifts voter perceptions on grocery prices is a separate question. Price pressure at the checkout and property rights principle do not weigh equally with all voters.
