Greens' KiwiMart plan would force the supermarket duopoly to sell off at least 120 stores
The Greens' KiwiMart policy, announced on 6 September, would require Foodstuffs and Woolworths to divest at least 120 stores and some distribution capacity into public ownership, with the Commerce Commission selecting stores by local market share (1News, interest.co.nz, Waatea News, Supermarket News). Reported costs are about $1.3 billion for stores and $1.5 billion to set up KiwiMart. The package includes a ban on excessive pricing and a National Food Strategy. Swarbrick said the two companies take about a million dollars a day in excess profit.
Grocery prices are a leading cost-of-living issue.
Nothing changes unless the Greens are in government and win the policy.
Supporters say more competition is the only fix.
Critics say a state chain is costly and may not cut prices.
On 7 October both major parties said grocery prices were a priority; KiwiMart is the most radical response on offer.
DailyDrop New Zealand edition No. 4 · Morning · THU., OCT. 8, 2026