Biography

Katherine Rich, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council

Katherine is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, an industry association that advocates on behalf of companies marketing food and other fast-moving consumer goods. She was a Member of Parliament 1999 – 2008 and prior to that held a number of agribusiness marketing roles. She is Chair of the New Zealand Parliamentary Education Trust, and is a Board member of the International Business Forum and children’s charity Barnardos. She is a former New Zealand member of the APEC Business Advisory Council, Chair of Fairtrade Australia New Zealand, Deputy Chair of the Food Safety Advisory and Assurance Council, and a board member of the Health Promotion Agency.

Supermarket pricing and the Commerce Commission study

New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly is causing significant issues for suppliers and consumers: for suppliers, squeezed margins are resulting in under-investment, under-supply, and reduced innovation; for consumers, there is less choice, variety, innovation, price, and other non-price competition. The Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council, which represents suppliers, will discuss these issues and the Commerce Commission’s market study investigating them.