The Commerce Commission is consulting about updating its Mergers and Acquisitions Guidelines and its Benefits and Detriments Guidelines.

"We intend to reflect recent court judgments and our current practices in the draft updated guidelines, and we will also take a close look at recent updates to overseas merger guidelines," said Kate Morrison, Commerce Commission General Manager, Enforcement.

The current Mergers and Acquisitions Guidelines, and related guidelines, can be accessed on the Commission's website at www.comcom.govt.nz/mergers-and-acquisitions-guidelines-consultation

The Benefits and Detriments Guidelines, which the Commission is also going to update, were last revised in 1997. They can be accessed on the Commission's website at www.comcom.govt.nz/benefits-and-detriments-guidelines-consultation

The Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on what issues the Commission should consider when updating both the current Mergers and Acquisitions Guidelines and the Benefits and Detriments Guidelines. The Commission will then consider developing draft guidelines for consultation in 2011.

Any comments should be sent to GuidelinesConsult@comcom.govt.nz by 24 December 2010.