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ACTPledged

One-stop consenting and overseas food labels to help new supermarkets open

● Cost of Living2 tracked updates
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✦ AI Overview

Pitched as cutting the cost and delay of opening a new supermarket, so more competitors can enter the market and challenge the two big grocers.

πŸ“‹ ACT: Open the Door to Supermarket Competition, September 2026 β†’

What it does

  • Creates a one-stop consenting shop where a new entrant can get consents, liquor licences and other approvals through one coordinated process, including across several council areas, with ACT aiming for decisions "in months, not years".
  • Deals with alcohol licence applications earlier, instead of leaving hearings until a new store is almost ready to open.
  • Recognises food labels that meet UK, EU or US requirements by default, so imported products need no New Zealand-specific packaging runs or item-by-item stickers.
  • Removes local requirements ACT describes as unnecessary and inconsistent when a supermarket wants to open in a new town.
  • Announced by David Seymour on 28 September 2026. ACT opposes breaking up Foodstuffs or Woolworths.

The debate

Seymour said the biggest barrier to a third, fourth or fifth supermarket chain "isn't Foodstuffs or Woolworths. It's the government", and called other parties' break-up promises "unethical". 1News reported the other parties have proposed interventionist approaches instead: RNZ reported National and NZ First want to break up the big grocers, Labour would separate their wholesale and retail arms, the Greens want a publicly owned competitor and Te Pāti Māori would fund Māori-owned competitors.

This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record β€” we welcome corrections.

❓ Our Questions β€” you decide

Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you β€” these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only β€” the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.

Should new supermarket entrants get a single fast-track process for consents and licences?
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Should food labelled to UK, EU or US rules be sold here without New Zealand-specific labels?
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Should cutting red tape for new supermarkets take priority over breaking up the existing chains?
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Key milestones

28 Sep 2026official
ACT sets out its supermarket competition plan

David Seymour said ACT would create a one-stop consenting shop for new market entrants and allow food labels from trusted systems such as the UK, EU and US by default.

ACT's plan to increase supermarket competition (ACT) β†—
28 Sep 2026news
Seymour rejects break-up plans

Speaking in Auckland, Seymour called other parties' promises to break up the supermarket duopoly unethical and said National had joined the pile-on. RNZ noted every party had promised some kind of supermarket reform.

ACT's David Seymour slams 'unethical' promises to break up supermarket duopoly (RNZ) β†—

Sources

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