3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Grocery price rises still hurting families
As food prices rise at their fastest pace since late 2023, a Dunedin father of three says groceries are costing "too freaking much" and "life never used to be this hard".
Figures released by Stats NZ yesterday, showed food prices rose 5% in the 12 months ended July 2025, and were mainly driven by strong dairy and meat prices.
Stats NZ prices and deflators spokeswoman Nicola Growden said all five food groups recorded higher prices when compared to this time last year.
The average price for milk was $4.70 per 2 litres (up 16% annually), butter was $8.59 per 500g (up 42.2% annually), cheese was $13.01 per 1kg block (up 29.5% annually), and 1kg of beef mince was $21.97 — about $3.50 more than a year ago, she said.
In the 12 months to July 2025, milk prices contributed more to the increase in overall food prices than any other food item.
Meat, poultry and fish prices (up 7.9%) were the next largest contributor to the annual increase, she said.
Roman Kubala, of Dunedin, said he and his wife did not have "a hell of a lot of money" for a start, so they only bought the necessities each week.
"We've got three kids, so we can't just buy the basics, because otherwise the kids don't have food for their lunch boxes, breakfasts and lunches.
"We're probably spending at least a minimum of $300 a week on groceries."
To balance the budget, he said they were cutting back on vegetables and buying in-store budget brands for the things they really needed.
Because petrol was also so expensive, they were using the family car very sparingly, he said.
"We couldn't go out of town. We only drive when we have to."
He said the biggest sacrifice came from his Indonesian wife, whose was unable to return home when her mother died recently.
They were also using their credit card a lot more to make up shortfalls in electricity bills. School fees were also taking a hit, he said.
"That's going to come to bite us in the ass very soon if we don't get those paid.
"It's all just getting too hard. It's just too freaking much.
"Life never used to be this hard."
Caroline Spooner, of Dunedin, said she was a single parent who spent about $400 a week on groceries.
"It's crazy. A healthy diet is not cheap these days.
"But you've got to provide for your children, don't you?
"I come from England, and it's a lot cheaper over there.
"You can buy cheaper lamb over in England than you can here, and it's from New Zealand — and same with butter and milk."
To make sure her children were getting the food they needed, the whole family was making sacrifices by avoiding unnecessary car trips, cancelling evenings out at the cinema, and spending more time at home.
"No treats really for us."
She said the only extracurricular activity her daughter went to was Scouts.
"That's because that's all we can afford."
