Catherine Beard: BusinessNZ Director of Advocacy on National's plan to split up Foodstuffs to drive competition

Best of Business · Sep 16, 2026 · 4m · transcript

Blowback from a business advocate on National's plan to break up Foodstuffs.

If elected, and if the Commerce Commission agrees, the party would separate Pak'nSave from New World and Four Square to create more competition.

But Foodstuffs warns there'd be significant implications and would affect more than 500 locally owned and operated stores.

Business NZ Director of Advocacy Catherine Beard told Ryan Bridge threatening to split up private property is hugely alarming.

She says it sends a terrible signal to overseas investors – that the government could essentially take away business.

Beard…