This bill responds to the Government's commitment to address the increasing costs of living facing New Zealanders. Groceries are an essential purchase and a major expense for most New Zealand households. Competition is a key driver of the price, quality, and range of food and groceries offered in New Zealand. The Commerce Commission found that both Foodstuffs and Woolworths New Zealand were using restrictive covenants on land and exclusivity covenants on leases to impede access to sites by other grocery retail stores. The covenants reduce competition by restricting the scope of activities that can take place on a plot of land or within a mall or shopping centre. The bill amends the Commerce Act 1986 to directly prohibit such covenants and make existing covenants unenforceable.