Competition Law at the Turn of the Century: A New Zealand Perspective

COMPETITION LAW AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY: A NEW ZEALAND PERSPECTIVE is a collection of papers presented and dialogue held at the 3-5 November 2000 conference of the same name.

The conference was designed to bring together experiences and analysis of the Commerce Act 1986 and its principal amendments in 1990. It seemed timely to consider the Act, given that it had been in force for some 14 years and certain changes were in 1999 mooted by the Ministry of Commerce (now the Ministry of Economic Development). These changes provided the background to the ensuing amendments to the Act in 2001. This collection of papers discusses these amendments, as well as topics relating to central themes of the Commerce Act; namely, the goals of the Act, market power thresholds and contracts substantially lessening competition. The papers also provide some insight into the introduction of economic regulation in the case of electricity and telecommunications.

CONTRIBUTORS AND TOPICS: Mark Berry and Lewis Evans Introduction – David Caygill Reminiscences on the Passing of the Commerce Act – Terence Arnold, David Boles de Boer and Lewis Evans New Zealand Setting – Susan Begg and Bryce Wilkinson Goals of Antitrust Policy and the Commerce Act – Lyn Stevens The Goals of the Commerce Act – Frank Mathewson and Neil Quigley Market Power Thresholds – Dennis Carlton and David Goddard Contracts that Lessen Competition – What is section 27 for and how has it been used? – Ian Millard Penalties and Remedies – Andrew Peterson and Andrew Matthews New Zealand Competition Law in an International Setting – Kerrin Vautier Competition Law at the Turn of the Century: International Perspectives – Jim Stevenson, Allan Asher and David Caygill Ministerial Inquiry Panel Discussion (Electricity and Telecommunications)