Dozens of business leaders in New Zealand signed an open letter on Wednesday calling on all political parties to uphold private property rights and freedom of contract following proposals they view as being "heavy-handed interventions."
The letter responds to campaign proposals that would force supermarket owners to sell to the government, break up a New Zealand-owned grocery group, take a bank into state ownership, separate generation from retail in the electricity sector, and rewrite retirement village contracts that have already been signed.
Earlier in September, the Green Party unveiled a plan to break up New Zealand's supermarket duopoly under which Woolworths Group (ASX:WOW) and Foodstuffs would be required to divest at least 120 stores into public ownership. The Labour Party, meanwhile, also plans to force "immediate action" to increase competition in the country's grocery market.
"The anti-business rhetoric of political leaders is deeply concerning," said the letter, which was signed by 51 business leaders including Infratil (ASX:IFT, NZE:IFT) CEO Jason Boyes as well as executives from Foodstuffs.
"Forced sales and break-ups tell investors around the world that ownership here depends on political convenience," the letter said as it urged the political parties to withdraw the proposals ahead of general elections scheduled for November.
has reached out to the National, Labour, and Green parties, as well as to Foodstuffs, for comment. Woolworths won't be able to provide a comment, it said in response to an emailed request from.
Infratil's Australian and New Zealand shares were up 2% in recent Wednesday trade.