Review is about "protecting the little guys".

Businesses that are late paying their invoices, supermarkets that put a squeeze on their suppliers, and pushy mall traders may be targeted by a clampdown on "unfair commercial practices".

A discussion paper, outlining options to protect "the little guys" in business and ways to beef up some consumer protections has been released by Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash.

Nash said he was particularly concerned about the impact on small businesses when companies paid their bills late.

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"Small businesses can face significant cash flow issues as a result of other businesses not paying them on time as per contract terms.

"This has flow-on effects for other parts of the economy, especially for the families and communities these businesses support," he said.

STUFF Small Business Minister Stuart Nash has late-payers in his sights.

The ministers made the announcement at The Wellington Chocolate Factory, whose communications manager, Sebastien Voerman, criticised the practices of supermarkets in demanding "discounts" from suppliers.

"There can be times when it feels unfair," he said.

Voerman said that in one case a supermarket chain told The Wellington Chocolate Factory that the boutique chocolate-maker would give the supermarket a discount at one new store it was opening for a month, as a "celebration" of it opening the store.

"Sure – that works," he joked.

New Zealand already has a Fair Trading Act and a Commerce Act to protect consumers and businesses against a range of unfair commercial practices, the ministers noted.

But they said the Government wanted to make sure there weren't any gaps in the current protections.

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER/STUFF The Wellington Chocolate Factory spokesman Sebastian Voerman says there are times when dealing with supermarkets can "feel unfair"

Since 2015, the Commerce Commission has been able to go to court to challenge unfair clauses in "standard form contracts" that are imposed by businesses on consumers on a "take or leave it" basis.

But the discussion paper is seeking views on whether the same protection should be afforded to businesses that are on the end of similar unfair fine print.

Another option was to ban "oppressive" or unfair contracts "to target the worst conduct by businesses towards other businesses", it said.

Both options could be pursued in parallel.

Faafoi said unfair commercial practices targeting consumers could include the use of high-pressure tactics.

He highlighted pushy traders at malls as one potential issue that the review could consider.

Unfair practices could cause significant "stress for consumers" that could lead people into financial difficulty, he said.

"Consequences for businesses include cash flow issues, increased costs and stress."

Submissions close on February 25.