Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has hatched a plan to "curb the negative effects" of mobile truck shops in communities, and it doesn't involve her Cabinet colleagues passing new laws.

Tolley, the MP for the East Coast, is lobbying councils to use their powers to close mobile shopping trucks, some of which have been accused of taking advantage of the poor.

Mobile trucks were the focus of an article in Consumer NZ's latest magazine. Some have been criticised for selling goods at prices that are in many cases far higher than the supermarkets and shops. Customers are able to get the goods before paying the mobile shopping truck owner by instalment.

Consumer said some mobile truck companies, of which there were about 40, were "targeting some of the most vulnerable consumers". It said an item like a jersey could end up costing $180 and a packet of cornflakes could cost $30 if purchased from rogue operators.

Tolley appeared to have similar concerns.

She said she had met with and written to the mayors and councils in the Opotiki, Kawerau and Whakatane districts, and believed there was an opportunity "to work together to exclude mobile trucks from preying on our communities".

She said councils' ability to pass and enforce bylaws was the key. Bylaws are local laws enforced by councils, and they can cover things like parking rules, picking up dog poo, and where alcohol can be drunk.

"Recent advice I've received suggests we can do something within the existing bylaws. My next move is to go back to the councils and look at how we might implement a change," Tolley said.

"I'm also happy to talk to the Gisborne District Council as well, to ensure the whole East Coast is covered."

She has not detailed her plan. However, as councils give licences to mobile traders, it could involve excluding certain operators from taking their trucks out onto the street if they failed to meet minimum standards.

Local Government New Zealand said councils had powers to control trade in public places, but using bylaws to exclude trucks from residential streets had never been done. "We are not in the position to say whether this would or would not be legal at this stage."

"The only way to know that would be for it to become a bylaw … and if the truck companies then took the councils to court and it went to judicial review."

Michael Wright, executive chairman of Home Direct, the largest mobile truck company, was wary on hearing of Tolley's approaches to councils.

Wright said the focus should be on enforcing current laws, which some truck operators were flouting.

Wright said Home Direct complied with all New Zealand legislation and was a member of the Financial Services Federation, Financial Services Complaints Ltd, and the Direct Selling Association – all of which have higher compliance requirements than current legislation.

"We also have a National Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services and have been working with the Commerce Commission to assist where possible with identifying companies who are falling short of their compliance obligations," he said.

"We don't believe there is a high level of compliance within the mobile shopping industry and to that end work closely with a number of government and non-government agencies to assist them raise the level of compliance within the industry."

"We wonder if passing the issue to local councils isn't just a way of side-stepping the responsibility to enforce existing legislation. If all companies were required to pass a compliance audit undertaken by the Direct Selling Association before being issued a mobile traders licence, this would ensure all companies involved in the industry reached a minimum standard of compliance."

That would be something all councils could bring in, and he said: "We are confident this would ensure an immediate shift in behaviour by the retailers as well ensuring improved consumer protection."

He said no action should imperil a business that complied with the law.

"Restricting a fully compliant business from operating such as Home Direct on the basis that there are rogue operators would be like shutting down the liquor industry because there are some retailers selling to underage people. Prosecute those that don't comply, and let those that do, get on with their business."

Wright said the prices for some, not all, of its goods were higher than in the shops. The instalment repayments factored in interest at 19.5 per cent, which was less than many store cards, as well as a $6 a month account fee.