It is time to break up supermarket duopoly

MANY thanks and high gratitude to Bruce Munro, writer of the insightful, enlightening, informative and ultimately shocking article in ‘‘The Mix’’ (ODT, 4.5.22); ‘‘Off its trolley: NZ's supermarket duopoly and rising food costs’’. In a wideranging piece that moves from local communities to Aotearoa/New Zealand to global food inequities, the writer informs us of Foodstuffs, Woolworths and its subsidiary companies' stranglehold on food supply and distribution.

This duopoly, the cause of astronomical food prices, must be ended by the current political class. How have we arrived here? In a country still in servitude to Roger Douglas' zealot embrace of the free market, globalisation and competition? We have the antithesis — a duopoly. Not even the free marketeers and antiregulation crowd called Act can defend this. The time is right to break this duopoly up, install real competition and enable New Zealanders to access the bountiful produce this country produces at affordable and cheap prices. A country that can feed 40 million people and exports 90% of its food can no longer tolerate this. The battle between society and its acquisitors (the powerful and greedy), read Foodstuffs and Woolworths, needs exposing. Thank you for doing it. Andre Lopez Turner

Oturehua

THIS Government can stop duopoly by changing the supermarkets’ supply contracts by allowing all fruit and vege growers to put their goods to an online auction at source of growth to avoid wholesale charges. That means the Warehouse company and others can get into the market. Simple as that! Des McIntosh

North East Valley

IN light of supermarkets deciding to lock in high prices before they rise even further, does it also mean their prices will not fall during this period due to supply outstripping demand?

It would be more helpful if supermarkets nominated a few basic products such as milk, bread, meat, and cheese to be sold at cost plus a small handling fee till, say, October of this year. That would be a genuinely meaningful action by the duopolies to help consumers with the cost of already extremely high basic food items. Pork may then fly out the door if they agreed, but sadly an actual pig has never been sighted defying gravity. Gerrard Eckhoff

Alexandra

Irony appreciated

ROSEMARY McQueen (Letters, 10.5.22) has every right to complain about a political cartoon printed in the Otago Daily Times on May 6.

Her protest comes under the aegis of freedom of speech, as does the cartoon itself. However, I would caution Rosemary in calling for the head of anyone who does not always ‘‘direct his witticisms where we can all enjoy them’’, because then we get someone who only sets out to please us. Rosemary, there is a chap in Russia with the same ideas as you.

Personally I appreciated the irony expressed in the cartoon and restassured the one person not protesting is the subject himself.

Winston Peters lives for, and promotes any publicity.

He may well have orchestrated the whole issue and he is well clear that his actions have ‘‘consequences’’.

Speaking of irony, has anyone else noted that Trevor Mallard was unavailable for comment at the onset of duckshooting season. Terry Lake

Oamaru .................................

BIBLE READING:

Behold your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey. — Matthew 21.5.