2020 Choice: No More $ 13 Cauliflower? Supermarkets targeted by Jacinda Ardern

Union leader Jacinda Ardern says food prices are believed to be too high, but stopped short of saying that New Zealanders are being “scammed” at the supermarket.

That was the language he had used in 2018 about gas prices – “consumers are being scammed” – when he was talking about a new law that allowed the Commerce Commission to launch a market study on fuel companies.

Ardern said the next industries the commission would consider, if Labor were re-elected, would be supermarkets and construction supplies, with price fairness studies beginning at the end of the year.

Follow 3,700 complaints about price increases during the close of this year, including $ 13 per cauliflower.

Ardern wouldn’t be drawn to what cauliflower should cost at the grocery store.

“I’m not sure I want to get into the heated cauliflower debate … kumara has been hotly contested too,” she said while campaigning in Nelson today.

“You will often hear people make a comparison between prices in New Zealand and, say, Australia … This is an opportunity to go beyond the products and look at the whole market.”

According to the Consumer Price Index, food prices increased 4.2 percent in the year ending August 2020, and fruit and vegetable prices increased 19 percent, while the Survey of Expenditures of Households showed an increase of $ 19.70 in the weekly food bill in the last three years. .

Labor added that the Productivity Hub research suggested that supermarkets had relatively high margins, while competition has weakened over time.

New Zealand supermarkets are dominated by Foodstuffs and Woolworths NZ (Countdown), which said it would fully cooperate with a market study.

A Countdown spokesperson said the market was “intensely competitive,” that affordable prices were in the forefront, and that there were many options for consumers, including specialty stores, fruit and vegetable stores and butchers.

Kris Faafoi, a spokesperson for trade workers and consumer affairs, said construction supplies could account for up to 20 percent of the cost of building a new home.

There are five major retailers, two companies control 85% of the supply of concrete, three companies control 85% of the supply of glass wool insulation and one company controls 94% of the supply of gypsum board.

Ardern’s day in Nelson followed last night’s second leaders debate, where she decided to be more aggressive.

“I always prefer that we don’t have to talk to each other to make a point, but ultimately it was a decision between doing that or not saying a word,” he said today.

She made a number of commitments during the debate, including an independent investigation into Pharmac.

He said he still had confidence in Pharmac, but there was “consumer confidence just asking a couple of questions.”

“I don’t see any harm in developing an understanding of how they make those decisions.”

A walking light when walking

There was little indication of any disappointment in Ardern’s debate performance as he walked through downtown Nelson today.

Shouts of greeting, adulation, and gratitude surrounded her as her stroll stopped.

“Thank you for helping us overcome the coronavirus,” said a woman, as a man in a passing car yelled from the driver’s seat, “Hi Jacinda, how are you?”

“My mom will vote for you, you are nice,” said one girl, as if feeling overwhelmed by being too young to vote herself.

“You are an inspiration to women around the world,” said Bronwyn Eriksson, owner of The Swedish Bakery and Cafe, as she gifted Ardern a baguette.

When Ardern was finally able to continue her walk, Sarah Nyssen of The Vibe Hair & Beauty stopped in the middle of coloring her hair to take a selfie.

Then Ardern turned a corner to the applause of more than 100 Labor supporters waving signs, all wanting selfies and nudging.

His entourage became passive spectators; Faafoi had focused his talents on carrying a flowerpot, another of Ardern’s many gifts.

Ardern had previously joked that Faafoi might not be the best option to accompany a Pics Peanut Butter World tour; are allergic to peanuts.

His own fondness for propagation had apparently leaked to Pics, and he received a signed 2kg jar.

“That’s amazing,” he said of the huge jar. “I’ll tell you how long it takes to finish. I bet not that long.”

That wasn’t the only unexpected gem on his tour. As she sat down for a cup of tea, she ran into her former nanny, Scott Elmiger, who had looked after her multiple times when she was 7 years old.

Elmiger claimed to have only blurry memories of that time, but was adamant when asked if he had misbehaved in any way: “Of course not.”

The tour included a bicycle-powered peanut grinder, which was enthusiastically ridden by West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O’Connor, following Ardern’s reluctance.

The day also included a tour of the businesses of the neighboring food factory, including Little Beauties, where Ardern had the privilege of catapulting mugs of dried fruit into a spectacular mid-air collision.

He also visited Do Gooder, which sells biodegradable cotton swabs among other eco-friendly items.

There was some speculation about the impact of Labor’s desire to eliminate single-use plastic cotton swabs on the nation’s hearing hygiene and general cleaning.

As if to make it clear that there are alternatives, Ardern sought out the journalist who had allegedly spoken of such concerns: “Weren’t you the one who was concerned about this?”