Living costs pushing households ‘over edge’
The cost of living is forcing even those on double incomes to seek help with their weekly groceries, says Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge.
He told The Post the charity was seeing more and more people struggling with the cost of living, including an increasing number of two income, middle class families.
Most of it was due to housing costs, he said. Rent was absorbing a huge portion of their income, leaving little in the budget for food.
“Housing remains the single biggest issue. And until we resolve that, people will continue to have challenges.”
Edridge said an unexpected expense, such as an illness, could push a household “over the edge”, and that’s when the City Mission’s food bank helped.
It may be just for a week that they can’t afford food, he said. “So we’re seeing people come to the mission who traditionally wouldn’t have come here.”
Edridge said they were still seeing the people they normally helped, who were also finding things harder.
Debt was also an issue, and Edridge encouraged people who were struggling to come and talk to the City Mission.
“We try and do it in a way that’s dignified and respectful and non judgemental.”
And as the economy tightens Kiwis are looking at ways to stretch their pay packets, including heading to farmers’ markets for their fruit and vegetables.
The Post visited the Newtown Fruit and Vegetable Market on Saturday morning to chat with marketgoers on why they were attending.
Friends Caleb Woodbine and Emily King said they often met each Saturday to attend the market together. Woodbine worked in IT, and King was currently unemployed, she said. The friends said they liked buying their fruit and veggies at the market, saying it was half the price of supermarket produce.
“I’m just trying to find places I can save, such as this,” Woodbine said.
King said they saved a large amount of their fresh fruit and veggie bill from buying at the market. For example, she saw a punnet of grapes for about $2, compared to about $8 at a supermarket.
When asked what they would like to see in the upcoming Budget to help with the cost of living, Woodbine said he would prefer the Government continue to fund public services, rather than give him cash in hand through tax cuts.
Hugo Buddy said he was at the market because the produce was better and cheaper than what you would find in a supermarket.
He said he hated giving money to supermarkets, as the industry was posting record profits.
“Like everyone, you have to watch your money,” he said.
Renee Burton said she had recently moved back from Australia and was shocked at how much more expensive everything here seemed to be.
While she had moved home to live with her family and save, her lower salary plus higher costs meant there wasn’t much of a difference, she said.
Seiyan Thompson-Tonta and Tamia Filipo said Wellington was so expensive, they were considering moving to Invercargill.
The couple – an actor and a dancer – said they were at the market to try and save some money on their food bill.
The couple felt the Government wasn’t doing enough to help people cope with the expensive cost of living.
“I’m sure a lot of National voters are second guessing [their decision] because, you know, they’re not living up to what they promised,” Filipo said.
“Housing remains the single biggest issue. And until we resolve that, people will continue to have challenges.”
Murray Edridge Wellington City Mission