What we do
The Commerce Commission enforces three key pieces of competition and consumer legislation: the Fair Trading Act, the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, and the Commerce Act.
Fair Trading Act
This Act is about ensuring consumers are not misled when purchasing goods or services. It is illegal for businesses to give false information or use unfair trading practices. Click here for further information.
Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act
This Act ensures consumers entering into a loan or credit agreement have all of the terms, conditions and fees of the contract disclosed to them, so that they can make a sound decision before entering into the agreement. It also gives them certain rights if they want to get out of the contract. Click here for more information.
Commerce Act
This Act ensures businesses do not engage in anti competitive behaviour, such as price fixing or bid rigging, or using market power to exclude competitors from a market. The Commission also ensures that businesses are not able to become dominant in a market through acquiring competitors, where this would create a substantial lessening of competition.
What we don’t do
We don’t deal with faulty goods and services. This subject is covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act which is “self-enforcing” – that means you can take your complaint to the Disputes Tribunal or the Courts. There is helpful information on the Ministry for Consumer Affairs website.
We don’t regulate retail prices. Provided businesses are not involved in anti-competitive or misleading activities, the Commission doesn’t decide whether retail prices are fair.
We don’t act 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 don’t give legal advice. But we do provide guidelines and fact sheets, which are on this website, to help you understand the legislation we enforce and how we work. Alternative sources of advice can be: a community law centre or a lawyer , a Citizens Advice Bureau, the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services, the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman, the Banking Ombudsman , and the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner.
We don’t investigate every complaint. We receive around 15,000 enquiries and complaints a year. Up to a quarter of these are not issues we have the mandate to deal with. Of the remainder, we have to pick those cases to investigate where the public harm is highest.
Requesting confidentiality
You may feel that informing the Commission about possible wrong doing might put your position at risk (for example you may be an employee or trading partner of the person or organisation you want to complain about).
If you are concerned about the need to protect your identity, please raise it with us when you make your complaint.
We value information from confidential informants and have a strong policy of protecting people’s identity when requested.
How to complain
If your complaint belongs with us, you can fill in our online form , or call us on 0800 943600.
