Global inflation is hitting families in the pocket at the pump and on the supermarket shelves. Photo / File
Global inflation is hitting families in the pocket at the pump and on the supermarket shelves. Photo / File
OPINION
We are caught up in a global inflation spike that is hitting families in the pocket right across the world, from London to Los Angeles, Redfern to Rotorua. Prices are going up at the pump and on the supermarket shelves, and what we know is that it's affecting everyone– which is why in Budget 2022 we knew we had to act.
Since taking office, our Labour Government has worked hard to lift incomes and make life more affordable for Kiwi families. Now, as we move forward with our plan to grow a secure economy for us all, we're providing further cost of living support for people here in Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty.
Our new Cost of Living Payment starts from today, August 1, and will support more than 2 million New Zealanders, including many of us here in the geothermal paradise of NZ.
You will likely be eligible if you are over 18, earned $70,000 or less over the period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, and are not eligible for the Winter Energy Payment.
This new Cost of Living Payment sits alongside our Winter Energy Payment, and, when taken together, these payments will support 81 per cent of adult New Zealanders with the rising cost of bills this year.
The best part is that there's nothing you need to do to apply for the payment, and the income threshold is based on your income as an individual, not your household income.
MP Tamati Coffey. Photo / George Novak
It's likely that there may be multiple people in your household that are eligible for this payment, and if so, know that it was intentional. If you're eligible, you will receive the payments directly from IRD, but that said, IRD needs your correct information, so please take a few minutes to make sure that everything is up to date. You can visit
To fight global inflation and help to ease the pressure on families, we recently extended the fuel tax cut, reduced road user charges and extended half-price public transport for everyone until the end of January next year.
This will also help reduce the fuel burden on businesses, keeping the cost of food and essential goods lower across the board.
We're also fixing the supermarket sector and increasing competition to make sure Kiwis pay a fair price at the till. This includes calling on the supermarkets to open up wholesale access for their competitors, at a fair price – or we will do it for them through law. By opening up supermarkets' stockrooms, it will be easier for new competitors to enter the grocery market, and ensure fairer prices.
There's no easy fix to the current cost of living pressures, but the measures we're putting in place will make a difference for people in Rotorua and across the country. They build on actions we've taken since 2017 to ensure Kiwi families have more in their pocket to get ahead – policies like the family tax credit, free healthy school lunches, cheaper doctors' fees, raising the minimum wage and the removal of school donations.
As we take the next steps in our plan, we'll continue to grow a strong economy that gives security to Rotorua and Bay of Plenty locals, in good times and in bad.
Tāmati Coffey is a Labour list MP based in Waiariki - the Bay of Plenty.
