National MP Scott Simpson in Select Committee Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
The newly-appointed Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has already offloaded any decision making regarding the supermarket sector, due to a conflict of interest.
Scott Simpson was given the roles by the Prime Minister last week after the former minister, Andrew Bayly, quit following a discussion with his staffer went too far and he laid a hand on them.
Finance and Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis will be responsible for all matters related to grocery regulation after Simpson proactively identified a conflict.
That conflict is understood to be due to a close family member owning a supermarket.
"Scott Simpson has proactively identified a conflict in his Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolio," a spokesperson for the Prime Minister told RNZ.
"To ensure this conflict is managed appropriately in accordance with the Cabinet Manual, with the PM's agreement, Nicola Willis will act as Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister on all matters related to grocery regulation.
"Our government is laser focused on helping Kiwis keep more cash in their back pocket and part of that is driving competition in the grocery sector. Nicola Willis will be a strong advocate for this," the statement said.
The coalition has been talking tough on cracking down on supermarkets this year, with Willis reviving the long-discussed competition problem at the opening of the two-day New Zealand Economics Forum in Hamilton last month.
She said Kiwis were paying among the highest prices in the OECD for kitchen staples.
But rectifying that would not be achieved overnight. The Finance minister said she had not received advice on how many new stores would be required to provide real competition.
"In my view, in each of your major centres you'd want a few of the stores so that people could actively say, 'Well, I'm not going to go to one of the major players today. I'm going to go to that store, because I think it has more affordable products and choices and I like it,'" she told RNZ at the time.
The Commerce Commission's probe into the wholesale market was due to report back mid-year.
"I'm open to what those recommendations might be," Willis said.
