Inflation has fallen

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For Aucklanders finishing their supermarket shop this week, the cost of living crisis is not over.
Photo: 123rf

Annual inflation has dropped to its lowest level in three years, but there is still plenty of pain in the cost of living.

While inflation has fallen to 3.3 percent, rents, rates and insurance are still going up.

For Aucklanders finishing their supermarket shop this week, the cost of living crisis is not over yet.

“Not that I can feel like too much just yet,” one man said.

“Oh no, it’s just getting worse and worse every now and then.”

“It’s still quite high compared to a few years ago,” another said.

Many are still watching what they spend.

“You have to watch what you’re buying, be careful, and plan your menu.”

“You don’t buy as much for the same amount you’re used to,” one woman said.

“It depends on what you’re buying, but a lot of it’s quite high.”

Small families were finding it expensive, one man said.

“If we go for buying groceries, we used to spend a lot of money and we used to get heaps of groceries. Now it’s just getting crazy – $200 a week is not enough for a small family like us.”

Another said it was not just the price of food.

“Especially the rent and groceries are going so high. Same thing with cost of living – 40 percent of income going on rent and grocery and other stuff.”

The inflation figures show rents have gone up almost 5 percent in the last year, and rates have risen by more than 9 percent.

Property Investors Federation advocate Matt Ball said supply and demand was one of the reasons for higher rents.

“You’ve got other factors at the moment in increased costs for landlords, interest rates have more than doubled in the past few years, council rates went up nearly 10 percent in the last year, insurance is up 14 percent.”

He said building costs were making also maintenance more expensive.

Victoria University Students Association president Marcail Parkinson said rental costs were taking a huge chunk of people’s budgets.

“It’s a continued trend of renters and students, who are predominately renters, being on the back foot. It shows this government hasn’t fulfilled its promise yet for renters and for people who are doing it tough.”

Another expense is insurance, with costs over the last year up 14 percent.

Insurance Council president Kris Faafoi said international re-insurers rated the country as higher risk after disasters like Cyclone Gabrielle.

“They’re now looking at New Zealand with a different lens around weather-related events, and when we paid out $3.8 billion for the events of early 2023. There is a re-calculation going on, and that’s being reflected in the re-insurance and the premium costs at the moment.”

While those re-insurance costs have plateaued in the past three months, the growing risk from climate change was not going anywhere.

“We know that the frequency and the severity of climate related events is going to increase and the severity and the damage is going to increase. It’s something that certainly were aware of, that the country should be aware of, and that re-insurers are aware of,” he said.

One bright spot for home-owners and businesses – with inflation heading back to the Reserve Bank’s 1-to-3 percent target zone, there was a good chance of lower interest rates by the end of the year.