We are New Zealand's competition, consumer and regulatory agency.
Our role is to enforce laws relating to fair trading, competition, and consumer borrowing. We also regulate electricity lines, gas pipelines, telecommunications, dairy and airport sectors.
We act in the public good to stop and prevent misleading and anti-competitive behaviour by businesses.
Our aim is that New Zealanders are better off because markets work well and consumers and businesses are confident.
We are an independent Crown entity established under the Commerce Act. The Commission is not subject to direction from the government in carrying out its enforcement and regulatory control activities.
Improving business compliance is vital to protecting New Zealand's markets. While we are an enforcement agency we also educate businesses to help them understand how the law affects them through our published guidance and workshops.
We assess all the complaints we receive about traders and individuals. Our focus is on reducing harm to consumers in areas where we can have the greatest impact.
This includes tackling anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions, and anti-competitive trade practices, like price fixing and abusing market power. It also includes ensuring better transparency in the pricing and description of goods and services, and unfair practices.
We use our enforcement criteria when we make a decision on whether to open an investigation. We look at the seriousness of the conduct, the extent of the harm, and the public interest.
