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What advice, if any, has he received that the Overseas Investment Act 2005 constitutes a barrier to entry to the New Zealand grocery market, given that three applications relating to supermarket or grocery retail have been received in the five financial years to 2025/26 and all three were approved?

Answered Question 36159 (2026)
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Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

Question

  • What advice, if any, has he received that the Overseas Investment Act 2005 constitutes a barrier to entry to the New Zealand grocery market, given that three applications relating to supermarket or grocery retail have been received in the five financial years to 2025/26 and all three were approved?

Answered by

Hon David Seymour

Member for Epsom · ACT Party · Associate Minister of Finance

Answer

The Overseas Investment Act 2005 is a statutory barrier to entry to the New Zealand grocery market for international supermarkets. The 2024 RIS "International investment screening" contains further analysis of the ways in which the OIA was a barrier to foreign investment.