Carter Holt demands details of investigation

Carter Holt Harvey chief executive Peter Springford is challenging the Commerce Commission to front up over its investigation into alleged cartel behaviour in the corrugated box market.

Carter Holt has filed an affidavit in the Auckland District Court seeking access to the commission's confidential application for search warrants it used to launch its simultaneous raid on the Auckland offices of Amcor, Carter Holt and Visy Industries in December.

"We're trying to seek clarification as to what the allegations are because they're not clear to us," said Springford.

"We've been hung, drawn and quartered ... the share price is affected and quite a lot of value has been destroyed."

But commission chairwoman Paula Rebstock said the competition regulator was aware of Carter Holt's move and "will be revisiting that".

"I will be filing an affidavit myself [this] week opposing Carter Holt seeking and getting access to that information at this stage of the investigation."

Rebstock told the Institute of Directors last week the commission had obtained evidence from an Australian Federal Court hearing regarding "possible anti-competitive conduct in New Zealand".

"As recently as last week, members of the commission's investigative and legal teams were in Australia interviewing key parties," Rebstock told the directors.