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Speaker 1: A lovely teas yesterday from the government aimed at those

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Speaker 1: of us still hurting at the cost of putting food

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Speaker 1: in the supermarket trolley. The government wants more competition in

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Speaker 1: the grocery sector. It was a nicely timed message. Despite

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Speaker 1: all the big picture talk of foreign investment in a

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Speaker 1: new economic ministry and a focus on growth, growth, growth,

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Speaker 1: the government has not forgotten that most key wes are

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Speaker 1: dealing with simpler day to day challenges like affording groceries.

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Speaker 1: About the announcement by Financing Economic Growth, Minister Nikola Willis

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Speaker 1: at the University of Waikato Economics Forum in Hamilton was

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Speaker 1: very much connected to the government's economic growth plan and

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Speaker 1: look that's not a bad thing. Got to love a

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Speaker 1: government with focus, or at least messaging focus. The issue

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Speaker 1: is there isn't really a plan here at all. The

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Speaker 1: government has set its receptive to cracking down on pricing

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Speaker 1: and helping you entrants access land and properties. Willis said

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Speaker 1: that if the new competitor presented a proposal to her,

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Speaker 1: she would be willing to do a deal give them

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Speaker 1: the VIP treatment through a bespoke arrangement. There was mention

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Speaker 1: of existing proposals that Willis knew of companies possibly interested,

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Speaker 1: but for commercial reasons, she wouldn't disclose who they were.

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Speaker 1: Who knows how serious these contenders are. Do they have

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Speaker 1: a well considered proposal or was it a conversation in

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Speaker 1: a corry lounge. It all sounds quite hypothetical. Those with

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Speaker 1: knowledge of the grocery industry will tell you that the

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Speaker 1: only way a third party could make a go of

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Speaker 1: it here they would need roughly one hundred and forty outlets,

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Speaker 1: set up a billion dollar supply chain, and would require

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Speaker 1: the big players to be broken up for any competition

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Speaker 1: on price or sustainability. It is a lot. Willis says

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Speaker 1: she's up for the fight, but a forced divestment of

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Speaker 1: some properties by incumbents is needed. It will be some

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Speaker 1: scrap one the previous government did not push ahead with.

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Speaker 1: So I'm not entirely sure what this teas has accomplished

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Speaker 1: other than some friendly headlines, A gentle poke at Foodstuffs

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Speaker 1: and will Worths and to continue the keyweed distant dream

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Speaker 1: of lower prices if a third party entered the New

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Speaker 1: Zealand super market scene. So the Great Supermarket Talkathon continues.

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Speaker 1: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks it be from five am weekdays, or

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