Published on 25 Mar 2025

Transforming Regulatory Impact through Strategic Vision: Creating a 10-year vision for fair trading

Projects
4 ANTON 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Anton Davis Director Consulting (NZ) Contact me
7 CHARLENE 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Charlene Harvey Regulatory Strategy + Practice Lead (NZ) Contact me

The Commerce Commission’s Fair Trading Branch needed to evolve beyond enforcement to become a forward-thinking regulatory steward. We delivered a strategy which will help them to shift from reactive to proactive regulation, creating a compelling new vision. Through collaborative workshops and practical planning techniques, we built a high-level roadmap that connected daily activities to long-term outcomes, positioning them as a modern, influential regulator in New Zealand.

Our work:

  • Transformed their regulatory approach from reactive enforcement to proactive stewardship through collaborative ‘bootcamp’ workshops that built ownership across the organisation.
  • Created a practical implementation roadmap with five clear phases, making their ambitious ten-year vision achievable through sequential steps
  • Developed a performance framework that connected current BAU activities to long-term outcomes, giving staff clear line-of-sight from their work to the broader vision.

 

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The Fair Trading Branch is now positioned to become a modern, influential regulator with a comprehensive approach that balances enforcement with prevention, promotion and protection.

Regulating a dynamic marketplace

The Fair Trading Branch protects 5.1 million consumers and ensures fair practices across more than 590,000 businesses in New Zealand. They approached us with a clear goal: to transform into a high-functioning, modern regulator with a strategy to guide their work for the next decade. 

The branch faced significant challenges: 

  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 A constantly changing trading environment with new products, services and technologies.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Growing consumer vulnerability, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Commercial pressures pushing businesses toward profit-seeking behaviours that compromised compliance.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Limited resources to regulate a vast, complex marketplace.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 A predominantly reactive enforcement approach rather than proactive system stewardship.
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Combining vision with practical implementation

We reviewed documents, conducted stakeholder interviews and ran contextual workshops to understand the operating environment. In addition, we conducted three full-day 'bootcamp' workshops with the Executive Leadership Team, with each workshop exploring interrelated aspects of strategy: ambition and identity; philosophy and values, and regulatory approach. We used backcasting techniques as we worked backwards from the desired 2033 vision to create a strategic pathway with clear milestones. 

For vulnerable consumers, we designed a risk-based approach that prioritised resources where harm was greatest. We also addressed Māori engagement by recommending internal cultural capability development, relationships with mana whenua and partnerships with Māori organisations. 

Our strategy articulated a crucial shift:

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Interconnected coloured pathways forming abstract network diagram

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A Modern, Influential Regulator

Our work delivered a compelling ten-year strategy with a clear vision: "Confident participants. Trade thriving." The strategic pathway provided a practical roadmap for implementation helping staff to see how their daily work connects to longer-term outcomes. 

The Fair Trading Branch is now positioned to become a modern, influential regulator with a comprehensive approach that balances enforcement with prevention, promotion and protection. Despite their limited size, they now have the strategic tools to maximise their impact across New Zealand's trading environment, ultimately creating the conditions where consumers and businesses can participate with confidence in a fair and competitive marketplace. 

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