WELLINGTON, July 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand food prices rose 4.6 percent in the year to June 2025, slightly up from 4.4 percent in May, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday.
The largest contributors to this rise were higher costs in both grocery items as well as meat, poultry, and fish, which climbed 4.7 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively, Stats NZ said.
Dairy products were a primary factor, with milk prices up 14.3 percent, butter seeing an even sharper annual jump of 46.5 percent, and cheese prices surging 30 percent, it said.
"Butter prices are nearly five dollars more expensive than 10 years ago, an increase of over 120 percent," said Stats NZ spokesperson Nicola Growden.
Meat, poultry, and fish prices were also up, propelled by higher beef costs, Growden said.
Rental prices rose 2.6 percent in the year to June, the slowest rate of annual rent inflation seen since 2011, which followed a 2.8 percent annual rise in May, statistics show.
On a monthly basis, food prices climbed 1.2 percent in June, following a 0.5 percent rise in May, which was driven primarily by a 5 percent jump in fruit and vegetable prices and a 0.8 percent rise in grocery foods, Stats NZ said. ■
