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!
-
43.5% Grocery bills
-
33% Utilities
-
1% Your treats (the ones that keep you human day to day, and are ESSENTIAL!)
-
0.1% Education
-
7.6% Healthcare
-
1.3% Travel (public transport/petrol)
-
7.9% Rent or mortgage
-
1.5% Social costs: birthday gifts and occasions
-
4.1% Other - share below!
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
-
53.2% Yes
-
46.8% No
Constable Street car wash rip off!
Hi, today I went to the Constable Street car wash that's beside the petrol station. After depositing $6 for three different rinse cycles I discovered that there was no water pressure for any of them. I had just foamed my car so I had to drive around and join the que again to use the left car wash....this time I discovered that $2 only rinses half of my small Suzuki Swift whereas $2 used to rinse the whole car nicely. Two or three weeks ago I encountered the same 'no water pressure' problem there. I imagine that people will be depositing $2 coins to no avail in a continuous stream. It appears that the owner doesn't care about providing a proper service to to their paying customers.
"Christmas Ukulele Jam" <> Island Bay <> Sat 13th Dec
Tinsel up and come along to play and sing some most-loved Christmas carols and Christmas songs.
7pm, 88 The Parade, Island Bay. Doors open 6.30pm.
Bring a friend or the family, your guitar or ukulele, whistle or fiddle - all acoustic instruments are welcome. If you'd just like to sing, that's great!
Bring a music stand and a tablet to access the songbook - here: heyzine.com...
There will also be paper songbooks on the night.
The church is 100m city side of the Island Bay shops. Good off-street parking right there.
Loading…
