‘Simple things make it really difficult’: Why pensioner households have had fastest inflation
Pensioner households in New Zealand are experiencing the highest annual inflation rate, driven by significant increases in electricity, rates, and petrol prices. Many elderly individuals, especially those on fixed incomes like NZ Super, are struggling to absorb these rising costs, leading to cutbacks on essentials and potential health impacts.
Why it matters
This highlights the disproportionate impact of inflation on vulnerable fixed-income populations, potentially leading to increased poverty, health issues, and a call for policy intervention to support the elderly in the face of rising living costs.
Superannuitant households had the highest annual inflation rate of any household type, Stats NZ data shows. Photo / RNZ
Whangārei pensioner Bruce Tebbutt says he’s noticed the price of everything increasing recently.
“Groceries, power and petrol, which I guess are all the obvious ones.”
He said he had other income streams as well as receiving NZ Super, which meant his household was more able to absorb the increases, but he could see why many could not. “I was really aware when doing supermarket shopping recently how much things had risen in cost.”
He said if his circumstances were different, he probably would have been looking to return to the workforce, if he could find a job.
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