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Nau mai, haere mai.
There is no denying that going to the supermarket has been an increasingly painful process for many New Zealanders. Think about the last time you spent $50 at your local store. Your trolley probably contained no more than a few basic items – and probably much less than ten years ago. It is clear to anyone who does the grocery shop that the price of food has been on the rise.
But as new research from Puneet Vatsa and Alan Renwick reveals, price increases have not been consistent across food categories. Since 2014, fruits and vegetables have increased by 45% while sweet processed foods have increased by just 14%.
This means processed sweet foods have remained, by and large, more affordable than fresh produce.
As the authors note, “New Zealand’s price inflation was greater and has remained more persistent than in many other developed countries, suggesting unique factors may be at play”.
And this is not just hurting our wallets. The fact that processed foods are seeing smaller price increases than fruit and vegetables means the former is an easier choice for struggling families – to the detriment of their overall health.
As the authors point out, the solution to this issue needs to be multi-pronged and include education, subsidies on healthy food and a tax on more processed options.
Many thanks for reading and until next week, mā te wā.
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Debrin Foxcroft
Deputy New Zealand Editor
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Puneet Vatsa, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Alan Renwick, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Healthy eating is increasingly out of reach for struggling families. Since 2014, prices on fruit and vegetables have increased by around 45%, while processed foods have seen just a 14% rise.
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Holly Thorpe, University of Waikato; Belinda Wheaton, University of Waikato
Sports keep evolving – and so must the Olympic Games. But can the inclusion of new events like breakdancing and kiteboarding also create a new generation of fans?
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Joanne Crawford, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Chris Peace, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Danaë Anderson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
With 70 work-related deaths each year, the government’s review of health and safety rules is very timely. But simply reducing red tape won’t fix the deeper problems.
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Dougal Sutherland, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The government’s newly announced targets to address New Zealand’s ongoing mental health crisis offer some hope, but not much detail on how they will be achieved.
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Richard Shaw, Massey University
The election of the Lange-Douglas government on July 14, 1984, was the moment the old New Zealand gave way to a new New Zealand. Its historic influence is still felt in most areas of life today.
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Chris North, University of Canterbury
New research shows high levels of teacher anxiety and frustration over legal liability and paperwork for school trips. But there are ways to maintain this crucial part of the curriculum.
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Tracy Molloy, Auckland University of Technology; Geoff Dickson, La Trobe University; Lesley Ferkins, Auckland University of Technology
A complex and hard-fought battle over how the national game should be governed comes to a head at NZ Rugby’s annual general meeting tomorrow.
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Lisa Asher, University of Sydney; Catherine Sutton-Brady, University of Sydney
Foodstuffs has applied to merge its North and South Island operations. But this move will only further concentrate market power and the biggest losers will be New Zealand consumers.
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From our foreign editions
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Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney
Evan Vucci’s Trump photograph is powerful for its composition and its nod to history – and how it could shape our history of the future.
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Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University
New allegations of corruption and misconduct in parts of the CFMEU have raised the question of whether unions are being properly regulated.
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Chris Oosthuizen, University of Cape Town; Emmanuel Dufourq, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Lorène Jeantet, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Pierre Pistorius, Nelson Mandela University; Stefan Schoombie, University of Cape Town
The machine learning model can work in the absence of video data, identifying prey capture events from new acceleration and depth data.
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Penelope Andrews, New York Law School
Codifying apartheid could offer significant relief to many victims and survivors who otherwise would not be entitled to adequate recourse from the international community.
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Philip Howell, University of Cambridge
Larry was a pet adopted in 2011 as a companion for then prime minister David Cameron’s children. But he has become something much more than that.
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Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
Here’s what causes stomach ulcers and how they can be spotted – or better, prevented.
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H. Colleen Sinclair, Louisiana State University
A social psychologist explains how to avoid being misled, and how to prevent yourself – and others – from spreading inaccurate information.
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Javed Ali, University of Michigan
Lone wolf attackers like Matthew Thomas Crooks pose the greatest security threats in the country – and are hardest to prevent.
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