Local produce is cheaper that imported stuff in NZ, but it’s still expensive. It’s because there’s only two companies that control the supermarket sector, both vertically integrated with both the retail and distribution under the same company. What’s more in NZ they are allowed to write in to their permits restrictions on competition, so a supermarket can get the government to block any other supermarket opening within like 5 Kim of their location.

Australian supermarkets are MUCH MUCH cheaper, even Woolworths which is the same company in both countries. I’m not generally a fan of giant multinational corporations but I wish Aldi would enter the NZ market. There is ONE Costco… which has prices much closer to the Australian / American Costcos… but it’s all the way up in Auckland and is completely overwhelmed… it was national news and the only thing anybody could talk about for a couple weeks when it opened last year!