# New Zealand Green Party supermarket regulation proposals

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/new-zealand-green-party-supermarket-regulation-proposals
> Updated: 2026-09-06T07:43:48.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

The New Zealand Green Party has introduced legislative and policy measures aimed at addressing the supermarket duopoly and rising grocery costs.

Initially, the party introduced the Commerce (Excessive Pricing in Retail Grocery Industry) Amendment Bill. This legislation seeks to prohibit supermarkets from charging prices that are excessive relative to supply costs plus a reasonable margin. The bill proposes significant penalties for violations, including fines of up to NZD 10 million, three times the commercial gain, or 10 percent of turnover.

Following this, the party expanded its platform with the ‘Affordable Kai’ policy, which proposes the creation of a state-owned supermarket chain named ‘KiwiMart’. This plan involves requiring the sale of at least 120 existing stores and transferring distribution centre capacity to public ownership to increase competition. Industry groups have noted that addressing distribution infrastructure may provide a clearer pathway to cheaper groceries. The Green Party also intends to extend price gouging bans to the energy and fuel industries while increasing the powers and funding of the Commerce Commission.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-06: New Zealand Green Party proposes state-owned supermarket to break duopoly

The Green Party has proposed creating ‘KiwiMart’, a state-owned supermarket chain, to break the grocery duopoly and lower food prices by acquiring 120 existing stores and distribution capacity.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/new-zealand-green-party-proposes-state-owned-supermarket-to-break-duopoly

### 2026-08-17: Green Party introduces bill to ban supermarket price gouging

The Green Party has introduced a bill to ban supermarket price gouging in New Zealand, proposing fines of up to NZD 10 million for excessive pricing relative to supply costs.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/green-party-introduces-bill-to-ban-supermarket-price-gouging

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Cite as: New Zealand Green Party supermarket regulation proposals. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/new-zealand-green-party-supermarket-regulation-proposals
