Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis has accepted Consumer New Zealand’s ‘Price It Right’ petition for accurate supermarket pricing.
The petition, signed by 25,000 people, was presented to Willis on the steps of Parliament this morning.
Willis wrote to the major supermarkets in June this year, warning them against misleading promotional practices and pricing errors.
Consumer NZ chief executive John Duffy said supermarkets have had plenty of opportunity to sort it out for themselves.
“It’s time for the government to step in and make supermarkets price it right, and tens of thousands of New Zealanders agree.
“People want clear pricing rules, automatic compensation and stronger penalties when supermarkets get it wrong.”
In 2024, the Commerce Commission estimated pricing errors were likely costing shoppers tens of millions of dollars a year.
“If supermarkets can’t get their pricing right, they – rather than shoppers – should face the consequences,” Duffy said.
Consumer NZ’s petition asked the government to introduce a mandatory supermarket pricing accuracy code:
• With clear pricing rules.
• Requiring supermarkets to automatically compensate consumers when pricing errors occur.
• Requiring shoppers’ right to be clearly disclosed both in store and online.
• Infringement notice powers and much higher penalties for misleading pricing and promotions.
“We know that all the problems in the supermarket sector won’t be fixed overnight, but new rules like those in our proposed code will help put money back in the pockets of New Zealanders,” Duffy said.
‘Time supermarkets pulled up their socks’
Willis told RNZ she had received assurances new processes were in place after putting major supermarkets on notice in June.
“They then wrote back to me and pledged that they are going to have refund policies in place from now on; in the case of Foodstuffs that hadn’t previously been the case.
“Now, if a pricing error is found, you get your money back and you keep to you get to keep the goods.
“They’ve also pledged that they will advertise these refund policies and they have pledged that they are investing significant sums and better training for their staff and better systems to stop these errors happening in the first place.”
They were important commitments and the government would hold major supermarkets accountable to them, Willis said.
“I have been consulting on strengthening the infringement regime in the Fair Trading Act, strengthening penalties and potentially introducing civil proceedings so that it is easier to prosecute supermarkets when they do the wrong thing.
“I will consider the submissions on that consultation before taking recommendations to Cabinet.”
Asked if it was fair the onus was still on consumers to notice price discrepancies, the minister said it wasn’t.
“I do worry that for every person who’s noticed it, there are other New Zealanders who’ve been ripped off and haven’t had the opportunity to get redress.
“So that’s why we are strengthening our approach in this area. We think it’s time that the supermarkets pulled up their socks.”
