We enforce legislation that promotes competition in New Zealand markets and prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct by traders. The Commission also enforces a number of pieces of legislation that, through regulation, aim to provide the benefits of competition in markets where effective competition does not exist. This includes in the telecommunications, dairy, electricity, gas pipelines and airport sectors.
The Commission is an independent Crown entity established under section 8 of the Commerce Act 1986.The Commission is not subject to direction from the government in carrying out its enforcement and regulatory control activities. The Commerce Commission’s purpose is to achieve the best possible outcomes in competitive and regulated markets for the long-term benefit of New Zealanders.
Our values
Excellence
We produce excellent work that stands up to scrutiny. We continually look for ways to improve. We recruit and retain excellent people and support their development.
Integrity
Our independence inspires the trust and confidence of New Zealanders. We are fair, honest and impartial.
Accountability
We answer to New Zealanders for the work we do and the money we spend. We take individual responsibility to deliver what we say we will.
Respect
We work together, support and respect each other. We value the diversity of people and their opinions.
Good judgement
We understand the environment in which we operate and the impact of our actions. What we do is relevant and useful. We are proactive and flexible and look for common sense solutions.
What we don’t do
We do not enforce the Consumer Guarantees Act, which deals with faulty goods and services. This a self-enforcing piece of legislation and you can find out more about it at the Ministry for Consumer Affairs website.
We do not regulate prices, other than in some industries described above. New Zealand has a market economy, which means prices are set by the market. Consumers can shop around, and provided business are not indulging in anti-competitive or misleading activities, the Commission has no involvement in determining whether prices are fair.
We do not take action on behalf of individuals. The Commission investigates issues that are in the public interest. While your complaint may spark an investigation, we won’t be acting on your behalf, rather as a public enforcement agency.
We do not give advice. As an enforcement agency, we can not give advice. However we do produce guidelines and a number of publications, including the information on this website, which is aimed at enhancing understanding of the legislation we enforce and how we work.
We do not investigate every complaint we receive. The Commission receives around 15,000 complaints a year. Up to a quarter of these are not issues the Commission has the mandate to deal with. Of the remainder, we have to pick those cases to investigate where the public detriment is highest. You can read more about the case selection process under Enforcement criteria.
Contact Us
The Legislation
A brief summary of legislation the Commerce Commission enforces
Commission Structure
The Commerce Commission's structure
Commission Members
The Governor-General, on the recommendation of the Minister of Commerce, appoints Commission members for their knowledge of, and experience in, areas relevant to the Commission’s interests. The Telecommunications Commissioner is appointed on the recommendation of the Minister for Communications and Information Technology.
Senior Leadership Team
Information about the Commerce Commission's Senior Leadership Team.
Accountability
The Commission produces a Statement of Intent and reports against this via the Annual Report. Performance is measured against a set of Output Measures.
Relationships with other agencies
While the Commerce Commission is an independent crown entity, to achieve our outcomes we often need to work cooperatively with other agencies and organisations.
These Memorandums of Understanding formalise our cooperation agreements.
International Relations
The Commerce Commission is part of a global network of similar competition law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
Matters for Other Entities
Matters the Commission does not deal with, but frequently receives enquiries about, are set out here, with information on who else may be able to help you.
