Council of Trade Unions: NZ more expensive if you are poor.mp3

A new quarterly Consumer price index report has been released by Statistics New Zealand.

The consumer price index, or CPI,  measures the rate of price change of goods and services purchased by New Zealand households. For the September year housing and household utilities increased 3.0 percent. Food prices increased 2.8 percent and vegetables were up 9.0 percent.

In a press release, Council of Trade Unions Secretary, Sam Huggard said that "Prices are rising faster than wages, and some of the biggest price rises are basic necessities for the lowest paid."  He added that  "In the year to June, the average hourly wage rose only 1.6 percent and the Labour Cost Index rose only 1.7 percent"

Producer Reuben McLaren spoke to Sam earlier and asked him about the new CPI findings.