Finance Minister Nicola Willis is willing to “do a deal” with any supermarket company eyeing an entrance into the New Zealand market.
Speaking to journalists at the University of Waikato Economics Forum, Willis said she was happy to pave the way for a company to disrupt the duopoly that dominates the grocery sector. But she didn’t commit to making any regulatory changes.
“I want to get on and work with a third entrant to get them in the door, and that will need a bespoke arrangement that will be bespoke to that entrant,” Willis said, saying they may, hypothetically, need help with the Overseas Investment Act, access to capital or land, or particular terms around their access to the wholesale market.
“I’m opening the door. I’m saying let’s do a deal,” Willis said.
“I’m willing to give them the VIP treatment, because you know who wins from that? New Zealand shoppers.”