Poll: What are the living costs that are having the biggest (and perhaps surprising) impact on your wallet?
Butter, power bills, and those sneaky surcharges on your card ... it feels like everything’s creeping up in price lately. We’ve seen the headlines, but we want to hear it from you.
Overall, Most Kiwis say they’re ‘not prospering’. But, according to Retirement Commission data, some members of our community (women, Māori, and Pacific people) are experiencing worsening financial positions at elevated rates.
Stats NZ tells us that food prices have jumped 4.6% since this time last year, with meat and dairy doing most of the damage. This jump is hitting us all, but groceries are just one part of the picture.
When basic costs keep climbing, the old cost-saving tricks — like bulk-buying or stockpiling on sale — don’t always work. Who can afford to spend more upfront when every dollar already has a job?
We want to know: What costs have caught you off guard the most? What are the expenses that feel impossible to juggle right now?
Share your thoughts below!
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43.5% Grocery bills
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33% Utilities
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1% Your treats (the ones that keep you human day to day, and are ESSENTIAL!)
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0.1% Education
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7.6% Healthcare
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1.3% Travel (public transport/petrol)
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7.9% Rent or mortgage
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1.5% Social costs: birthday gifts and occasions
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4.1% Other - share below!
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: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.6% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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29.9% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
Someone who can help
Sometimes, you want some help but don't know where to go. At CAB, we help you find the support that is right for your issue. We can help you understand your rights and responsibilities and we can advise which organisation or agency is right for your situation.
Our service is free, impartial and confidential. You can phone us on 06 758 9542 or visit in person at Community House, 32 Leach Street. No appointment necessary. We are open 9:30am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday and 9:30am to 12:30pm on Saturday.
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