The purpose of the Commerce Commission is to promote dynamic and responsive markets so that New Zealanders benefit from competitive prices, better quality and greater choice.
New Zealand’s principal competition legislation, the Commerce Act, was passed in 1986 to promote competition in markets for the long-term benefit of consumers within New Zealand. The Commission has both an enforcement and adjudication role under the Commerce Act.
The Commerce Act prohibits conduct that restricts competition (anti-competitive or restrictive trade practices) and the purchase of a business’s shares or assets if that purchase leads to a substantial lessening of competition in the market.