Food prices are still on the rise, with Stats NZ confirming a 4.6 percent increase in the 12 months to June 2025.

That’s slightly higher than the 4.4 percent rise reported for May.

The biggest culprits? Dairy and meat.

Grocery items like milk, butter, and cheese jumped 4.7 percent overall, while the meat, poultry, and fish group spiked by 6.4 percent.

Butter stood out with a whopping 46.5 percent annual rise, now averaging $8.60 for a 500g block.

Milk climbed to $4.57 per 2L (up 14.3 percent), and cheese hit $13.04 per 1kg.

Meat lovers felt the pinch too.

Beef steak rose 22.3 percent and mince climbed 15.6 percent year-on-year.

Month-on-month, food prices were up 1.2 percent in June, driven largely by fresh produce and grocery staples like boxed chocolates and eggs.

Chris Quin from Foodstuffs NZ says poor winter growing conditions are partly to blame.

“High power costs are hurting greenhouse growers too,” he said, noting that prices for tomatoes, capsicum, and broccoli have all gone up.

For Coasties, this means local supermarkets are reflecting both global price pressures and tough weather conditions at home.

It’s especially tough for families trying to stretch the grocery budget week to week.

Butter prices may have softened slightly at international auctions, but as Quin points out, they’re still 55 percent higher than two years ago.

He says co-ops are even selling it at a loss to ease the burden.

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