Pensioners turn to plant-based diets as food prices soar
From reporter Jody O'Callaghan:
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Older Kiwis are going without meat and their usual staple foods and instead turning to plant-based alternatives as food prices soar in their highest annual increase in a decade.
Food prices have spiked to a 6 per cent increase year-on-year, according to Stats NZ, with the largest monthly increase in five years of 2.7 per cent in January.
Canterbury’s foodbank supplier is unable to meet the full demand of agencies feeding those on the breadline, and community workers are concerned about the older population who are less likely to seek help.
Staple foods like dairy and meat have become out of reach for many, and older shoppers are being taught to branch out to new alternatives like legumes.
Karen Ogg teaches older Linwood residents how to shop, budget and cook. Her tips for them include:
- Shop seasonally
- Look for the cheaper brands on the bottom shelf
- Eat a more plant-based diet, using cheaper and healthier protein options like legumes, with plenty of meat-free meals
- Buy cheaper meat in bulk and separate into portions for the freezer
- Buy canned fruit when fresh prices are too high
- Add lentils and beans to a meal to stretch it into more portions
- Soups full of vegetables left in the fridge are a good healthy and filling option.
Do you have any tips for reducing your grocery bill? Read the full story by Jody here and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
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22.2% Yes
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50% No
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27.8% In some areas ...
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