Update from the Commerce Commission

The Commission’s vision is simple but powerful: New Zealanders are better off when markets work well, and both consumers and businesses can participate with confidence. This session will provide practical insights into how the Commission operates, balancing education with enforcement, and what that means for businesses here in Aotearoa.

Specific industry insights will be shared on:

*Payment Surcharging
*Groceries 
*Electricity

With around 15,000 complaints reviewed each year, the Commission plays a critical role in shaping fair and competitive markets across all sectors - from everyday household costs to the big infrastructure that powers our economy.
This is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the Commerce Commission, ask questions, and understand how the law applies in practice.  

 

About the speakers:
Vanessa Horne - GM Competition, Fair Trading & Credit
Vanessa manages the Commission’s Competition, Fair Trading and Credit Branch. She is a highly experienced and capable leader in strategy, operations, policy development, service design, and law. Most recently Group Manager, Overseas Investment Office at Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), she has extensive ministerial and legislative experience. Her legal background spans radio spectrum auctions, Financial Service Provider legislation, rural broadband and energy safety. Vanessa also has a strong track record of growing and developing people and building strong, impactful teams through periods of change. Vanessa has a degree in Public Policy (Masters) from Massey University.

Nathan Strong - Associate Commissioner
Nathan Strong is a qualified economist, with over 20 years of experience focusing on applied competition and regulatory economics, including at senior management levels in regulated companies. He was the General Manager (Commercial) at Unison Networks having first been appointed to the executive team at Unison in 2010. Nathan was also the Chair of the Electricity Networks Associations’ Regulatory Working Group, a Member of the Electricity Authority’s Security and Reliability Council and had previously been a member of several Electricity Authority Advisory Groups