The Commerce Commission has received an application from Wellington Pathology Limited and Valley Diagnostic Laboratories Limited seeking clearance for a proposed merger of Wellington Pathology and Valley Diagnostic's diagnostic laboratory services businesses in the Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast District Health Board (DHB) districts.

Wellington Pathology is a wholly owned subsidiary of Abano Healthcare Group Limited. The Abano Group incorporates a range of healthcare and medical services companies, including rehabilitation, diagnostic and dental divisions. Abano is listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.

Valley Diagnostic is a wholly owned subsidiary of medical diagnostics company Sonic Healthcare (New Zealand) Ltd, which is in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonic Healthcare Ltd. Sonic Healthcare Ltd is a medical diagnostics company, providing pathology and radiology services to medical practitioners, hospitals, community medical services and their patients. Sonic Healthcare Ltd is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The merger would result in aggregation in the provision of diagnostic laboratory services in the Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHB districts.

In considering the application, the Commission's role is to determine whether the proposed merger has the effect of substantially lessening competition in a New Zealand market.

A public version of the application is available on the Commission's website under Public Registers.