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!
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
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8.8% Yes! New Year, New Me
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20.6% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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70.6% Nah - not for me
Kōnae: Find Your Records
If you want to know how to request records about you or your whānau visit Kōnae: My Records Guide konae.org.nz.
Kōnae has information on more than 60 state and faith-based organisations that have records for over 800 homes and places in Aotearoa New Zealand about people who have been in their guardianship or care.
The Kōnae map shows past and present places in Aotearoa New Zealand like children’s homes, hospitals, orphanages, boarding schools, Youth Justice facilities and many more.
Each place on the map has details about who was responsible for running it and how to get records.
The map can be searched and filtered by
- name
- location
- date range
- religion
- type of organisation.
If you want support to use the website or to find your records, you can get in touch with your local CAB on 0800 367 222, email or message via cab.org.nz, or visit a CAB near you cab.org.nz/find-a-cab
Accessing records can bring up a range of emotions, we encourage you to take care of your wellbeing. You can find suggestions of support at konae.org.nz/support
Original post credit: Citizens Advice Bureau: cab.org.nz
Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.
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84.9% Same!
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15.1% Would have liked to try something different
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