Stats NZ data for the year to September 2026 show food prices up 2.4%, with bread rising 6.3%, milk 6.8%, breakfast cereals 6% and mutton, lamb and hogget 10.7%. Electricity rose 9.5%, gas 11.4%, petrol 24.3% and diesel 55.8% over the same period, with petrol up 6.4% and diesel 7.8% in September alone, which Stats NZ partly attributes to international supply disruptions. The NZ Council of Trade Unions says cumulative increases since November 2023 are squeezing working households, particularly those on lower incomes, and criticises Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's Government for not delivering enough relief before the November 7 general election. The union notes that slower inflation does not mean prices are falling, as fruit and vegetable prices dropped 1.8% annually while grocery food rose 3%.
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