Maybe she should have read some blogs ;)
Lisa Welbourne from Britian is a recent immigrant to New Zealand who is (like many of us) shocked at the price of food.
The problem is that while most sources of information like forums don’t actually hammer on about this (and crap over the people that try and talk about it), there are indeed places that do warn people of the cost of living. This blog is not the only place.
Gobsmacked at the price of basic foods, she has visited a lot of Auckland supermarkets and greengrocers in pursuit of lower prices, in pursuit of food she can afford. She finds it cheaper to buy at smaller fruit and vegetable shops – but that means more fuel costs.
Her friends back home can’t believe it when she tells them the price of food in New Zealand.
“Nice bread is four times the price,” she says. “I told them a loaf of bread was £1 [$1.90] and they said, ‘You’re joking’ … They can’t understand. When I see the average wage in New Zealand I wonder how some people are surviving.”
Lisa and her husband Max moved here with their 2-year-old son just six months ago and they were immediately scandalised by the prices.
“I always compare prices online and you can get things for half the price or a third of the price overseas that you get here.”
Yep, more and money of the money we spend (especially as the exchange rate is in our favour), is being spent abroad via the Internet. Interestingly – last month, Anchor butter was on offer at the supermarket and was the cheapest available. It is the first time in 7 years I have bought the stuff, compared to in the UK where I would never buy anything but Anchor.
But it does depress me that many people are still moving here expecting the costs of the basics to be cheap.
Comments
4 Comments on Maybe she should have read some blogs ;)
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Fran on
Sun, 29th Jan 2012 4:06 pm
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Avalon on
Sun, 29th Jan 2012 5:23 pm
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Colin Bowern on
Mon, 30th Jan 2012 6:05 am
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Avalon on
Mon, 30th Jan 2012 1:08 pm
$1.90 for a fancy loaf of bread?????? Vogels in Petone Pac ‘n Save one of the cheapest supermarkets in NZ is $4.20 a loaf! We make ours….. I don’t do my veggie shop in P n S but go to the weekly market in the city or Lower Hutt Riverside to buy direct from the growers. As for the cost of dairy products……. The price of food since we moved here (albeit it 14 years ago) has rocketed unlike pay packets. A Bread roll in 1998 was 30 cents each – now 55 cents if you are lucky!
Rant over!
Lol – yes – dad buys freyas – usually at nearly $4 a loaf!
From memory though (as an interesting aside) on the odd occasion I have shopped in an Auckland supermarket – I did find them cheaper than wellington.
I dont get a chance to visit the farmers markets – teh one in masterton just seems to sell High Carb stuff or VERY expensive meat / fish. So I still do almost all my shopping at Moore Wilsons.
Not sure why Lisa would be shocked about the price difference. With NZ being a smaller economy that is only connected by more expensive transportation methods (air, sea) will certainly cause prices on some things to be more expensive. Before we make the final call on immigrating we’re planning a scouting trip for a few weeks to do our homework on these sorts of things. I know we won’t capture all of the costs but hopefully we’ll get a good sense for the cost of living.
Smaller economy is not why things are so expensive, neither is transport costs as much if this relates to food produced here. The prices are that high because people continue to pay them.
If I as an individual can ship 1 book to New Zealand for about $12 – a major retailer can do it for less becuase of quantity discounts. So why are they selling them for $30?
If NZ dont have to ship my butter half way round the world for me to buy it in a supermarket – why is it cheaper to buy it in London than in Wellington?
I admit I am not an economist – but it just doesnt make sense.
A look-see trip is well worth it – I would say a must if you can afford it! just be clear about what you are seeing. The temptation is there to put a gloss on it. I know we did 
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