She said she had confirmed “multiple times” that she was receiving advice on supermarket competition reform.
She was “continuing to consider that advice”.
Last August, Willis instructed her officials to do a cost-benefit analysis on “specific options for restructuring the supermarket duopoly”.
While that advice may not be able to influence government policy, thanks to Act’s opposition, it may inform policy the National Party takes to the election.
A split could take many forms. On Wednesday, Willis was discussing a “banner split”, which her coalition partner New Zealand First has said it would campaign on.
National may campaign on forcing the separation of supermarkets. Photo / NZME
In April, NZ First announced it would campaign on using legislation to break Foodstuffs up into two nationwide co-operatives based on brand: one for New World and Four Square, and another for Pak’nSave.
Another option is separating supermarkets’ retail operations from their wholesaling.
Seymour said Act opposed separation because it sent a bad message to people who invested money in opening new supermarkets.
“If you start forcibly dividing companies, the first thing that happens is that they won’t invest,” he said.
“If you want to have more investment , more competition in the supermarket industry, the worst thing you could possibly do is send a message that if you invest in New Zealand your property is at risk,” he said.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party would “absolutely” look at policy on separating supermarkets if that was required.
“We’ve been talking to the Government about that for the last three years – we’ve been saying to them, ‘if you need our support because Act and NZ First are vetoing what you are trying to do, come and talk to us’,” Hipkins said.
“They’ve chosen not to, so ultimately Nicola Willis has to bear responsibility for making big promises that she hasn’t delivered.”
Asked whether he would break up supermarkets if needed, Hipkins said “all options” would be “on the table”.
“We need a more competitive supermarket sector,” he said.
Labour Party commerce spokeswoman Arena Williams.
Willis later noted that Hipkins’ comments contemplating separation appeared at odds with those made by the party’s commerce spokeswoman, Arena Williams, in the Post, in which Williams said the party did not support banner separation along the lines NZ First was proposing.
“As per usual, he has a different position from his spokesperson … perhaps he should sort out what his own party’s position is before he asks me about mine,” the Finance Minister said.
Williams told the Herald that the party did not agree with banner separation like NZ First had proposed, but was interested in splitting the wholesale and retail parts of supermarkets.
“In Government we were looking for more market access for growers, manufacturers and retail competitors from a wholesale-retail split of the supermarkets.
“It will be no surprise to any of the suppliers, growers and retailers we’ve been working alongside that it’s wholesale/retail where Labour is looking for more competition now. Competition in this part of the market is not improving,” Williams said.