Labour is sending more Kiwis backwards as they battle the worsening cost-of-living crisis, with the highest annual increase in food prices since 2008, National’s Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says.

The Food Price Index released by Statistics New Zealand today shows that food prices have increased by 10.1 per cent in the past 12 months, with grocery prices contributing the most to this increase.

“Today’s numbers are sobering, and even more bad news for Kiwis trying to get ahead. Not since the worst days of the Global Financial Crisis have we seen such rapid food price growth,” Ms Willis says.

“There is no escaping these eye-watering prices. For parents cooking dinner at home for their kids, they face produce prices climbing 17 per cent, and meat prices increasing 10 per cent. The cost of eating out isn’t much better, with prices up by 7.5 per cent.

“Even those desperately trying to save on their grocery bill are being hit hard, with the increase in the cost of two-minute noodles up 37 per cent.

“New Zealanders are facing pressure at the pump, mayhem with their mortgages, and a crisis at the checkout. The cost-of-living crisis is only getting worse and Labour has done nothing to get it under control.

“Instead of coming up with a plan, Labour has put the blame on supermarkets, petrol companies, banks, Covid or the war in Ukraine - anyone but themselves.

“It is clear that widespread labour shortages are having an impact on driving up the grocery bill for Kiwis. The Government must urgently fix their broken immigration settings that are pushing up prices across the economy.

“New Zealanders need an economic plan to get them out of this mess. All Labour can offer them is more of the same: more spending, more tax, no accountability.

“National has a plan to fight inflation – unblock bottlenecks, reduce costs on business, bring discipline to Government spending, prudent tax reduction and focus the Reserve Bank solely on an anti-inflation mandate.”

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