Our priorities

This year’s priorities

Our specific priorities for enforcement and compliance for 2024/25 are:

Cartels

We will prioritise cartel conduct which impacts the competitive process for the procurement of public services and infrastructure contracts. We will take action in this area. Protecting the integrity of processes concerning the expenditure of public funds is essential.

Non-compete agreements

We will prioritise action where we consider that non-compete agreements are unlawfully impacting on competition.

Illegal on-line sales conduct

Buying products on-line is increasingly a way of life for Kiwi consumers.  We will prioritise taking action to protect consumers from illegal on-line sales practices, such as fake reviews, misleading scarcity claims, misleading social proof sales tactics, drip pricing and subscription traps.

Breaches in the grocery sector

Groceries are a critical purchase for all New Zealanders.  Consumers should be able to rely on supermarket prices and price promotions being accurate.  We will take action where we consider sales practices are illegal.  We will also focus on compliance by retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers with codes and other obligations.

Breaches in the telecommunications sector

Telecommunications services are essential to Kiwi consumers and we will take action where we see false, misleading or deceptive marketing, sales or billing practices.  We will also focus on compliance by providers with codes and other obligations.

Motor vehicle finance

For many Kiwis the purchase of a car is one of the biggest financial commitments they will make.  We will take action where we consider that motor vehicle finance lenders have not met their obligations under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, including the rules that require responsible lending practices. We are particularly focused on where motor vehicle lenders are providing credit to vulnerable consumers.

Unconscionable conduct

We will act when we see businesses behaving unconscionably.  Unconscionable conduct is behaviour that substantially departs from expected standards of business conduct and is so harsh that it goes against good conscience.  This is conduct of a type that should rarely occur, but if it does, we will act to avoid harm to consumers or businesses.

Our priorities webinar

On 5 December 2024, we presented on this year's priorities.

Enduring priorities

Underpinning our annual priorities are our enduring priorities. These are core to meeting our responsibilities as a competition, fair trading and consumer protection regulator.

Some of the conduct we see is so detrimental to consumer welfare and the competitive process that the Commerce Commission dedicates significant resource to address this. These are our enduring priorities.

Cartels

We will prioritise cartel conduct causing detriment in New Zealand. Cartel conduct can comprise price fixing, bid rigging, market allocation by customer or geographic or output restriction between competitors.

Anti-competitive conduct

We will prioritise enforcement action for misuse of market power or anti-competitive agreements that cause significant harm to competition. We will also act where we see an appropriate opportunity to test areas of the Commerce Act where judicial guidance would be valuable.

Actions that support our market and economic regulation functions

The Commission has specific market and economic regulation responsibilities in relation to the grocery, fuel, and telecommunications industries and for retail payment systems, as well as electricity, gas, airports, dairy, and fibre. We will prioritise action which supports our broader market and economic regulation roles.

Product safety

We will prioritise product safety issues (that are within our regime) which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, particularly children.

Vulnerable consumers

We will prioritise enforcement action to protect vulnerable groups of consumers in New Zealand.