I, Kris Faafoi, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, pursuant to section 51(1) in Part 3A of the Commerce Act 1986, require the Commerce Commission to carry out a competition study into any factors that may affect competition for the supply of retail petrol and diesel used for land transport throughout New Zealand.

Matters to be considered in the study may include, but are not restricted to:

1. the structure of the industry;
2. the extent of competition at the refinery, wholesale and retail levels, including the role of imports;
3. any factors that may hinder competition between industry participants;
4. the conditions for entry by potential competitors, including independent suppliers, and/or the conditions for expansion;
5. whether wholesale and retail price and service offerings of petrol and diesel are consistent with those expected in workably competitive markets; and
6. features of retail petrol and diesel markets that are not in the long-term interests of consumers.

The Commerce Commission must make its final report for this study publicly available by 5 December 2019.

Dated this 3rd day of December 2018.

Hon KRIS FAAFOI, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.