You can never have enough...

[JanW]

Lilith - it’s not the supermarkets increasing their profits it’s the cost of everything coming into the supermarket that is responsible for the increases most of the increases are govt requirements to compensate for carbon emissions - over the last 3 years wages right across the food spectrum have gone up 44% - a trolley boy now gets $25.74 an hour - $2 less than a hospital technician - those cardboard tags on the bread bags cost millions of dollars to develop and have added 17c to the cost of every loaf of bread and that isn’t including all the lost product the bakeries have had because they aren’t as efficient the plastic ones - Fonterra are paying millions of dollars into the carbon emission scheme because they still use coal costing us all about 40c a litre at the checkout - this money was used partially for rebates on EV cars .We have the highest transportation costs in the OECD because our fuel tax is so high and we pay GST on that tax .The government decided  it wasn’t fair that our manufacturers growers and retailers received a 25% prompt payment discount - added millions of dollars to bread manufacturing for example and the indoor tomato growers for example- so we are paying more at the checkout and the power companies are making more money .Recently the supermarkets all went to considerable expense to meet new regulations that were brought in for recyclable plastic - cost $900,000 but there was nowhere to send the waste so it all sits idle - another grand plan to allow customers to  bring their own containers into the deli - the specifications for the cleaning facility to wash your container before the store could fill it were very expensive $400,000 it sits unused but if it wasn’t completed the shop has to pay more into the emission trading scheme . Brad Olsen conducts an audit  every month on Foodstuffs - their margin increases are being held under the rate of inflation but the suppliers costs are running at 12% increase  .The most frightening thing is that companies  like Ernest Adams and Irvines Pies have ceased production as the costs of doing business is so high - it’s the same all over the world but we are noticing it more because of 15% GST and our high transportation costs .Costco was supposedly going to drive prices down but they very quickly found the costs here are so high they aren’t even competitive - 
Some of the original owners who were in the business for 30 years and own their stores freehold have made a lot of money but they invested millions of dollars - today if an operator invested his money in bank bonds he would be better off than servicing a multi million dollar debt owning a supermarket while having widespread shoplifting and his staff being assaulted all the while people think he is a crook .The Commerce Commission have hired 25 public servants who are working on food prices - the government have just passed legislation that the duopoly both open wholesale departments and sell to other businesses - they have both had their wholesale departments up and running 8 months - only 1 business has registered so that has been another colossal waste of money .Climate change is a real frightening risk to us all and you are certainly doing your bit when you pay your bill at the checkout -

Jan, that's quite a (single paragraph) rant you've posted. Worth unpacking some of your claims...

New Zealand has quite moderate taxation of fossil fuels. The chart in this link compares tax rates on fuels in all the OECD countries. We're actually towards the bottom of the list. Note that this is US sourced so is in USD and US gallons. Also being "tax" it will be inclusive of the GST or VAT component.

Yes we have high transportation cost but this is due internally to our relatively low population and its low density. Externally that is only to be expected as NZ is very geographically remote so import and export freight rates will reflect that isolation. It is a prime reason that we should be value adding our products as much as we can so as to get maximum 'bang for buck' for the volume it occupies on journey to our markets. Logs and milk powder are glaring examples of how not to do this.

Our isolation is also a strong reason for us to support local production in our own consumption. The idea of importing food that can be produced here, and eating what is in season to do so, is a big step in this direction.

EV rebates in the Clean Car Rebate system are funded by taxation of high emission vehicles and the system is about to be rejigged in order to redress that balance. Also worth considering that the CCR on an EV is actually less than the GST in its price.

The food price increases we're seeing now are often weather event related and that will only worsen as our climate reacts further to the emissions we've burdened it with for the last century or so. Blaming price inceases on government policy and wanting tax breaks to remedy this is akin to building wave barriers to combat sea level rise - it's pushing sh*t uphill with a pointed stick and destined to failure.

There is so much I can say about your reply - but I will just say this my son has owned a supermarket for the last 15 years and post covid and then the cyclone have been very difficult - the emission compliance costs right across the spectrum are substantial and they are being added to the prices at the supermarket.The overseas stats  on fuel have no  relevance to the price of our food  - comoare our fuel prices with Oz and you will se why our prices are higher - there is also the GST factor 
On one hand the government are accusing a Foodstuffs of price gouging but they have given them 1 million tax payers dollars to buy an electric truck and to put EV charging stations in their very lucrative fuel stations 
The logs that are heading off shore unprocessed belong to the  overseas forestry companies we have sold our rural land to so if they chose to take the logs off shore unprocessed so be it - same with milk powder belongs to the farmers and we live in a free country and they can do as they please 
The facts are there the price increases at the supermarket are caused by increased costs - like 44% wages - extra stat days and leave entitlements - loss of prompt payment power rebates - increased insurance because of stock loss from flooding etc and widespread increase in crime 
The Australian govt gave their low income families cost of living decrease by putting GST on food and dropping the tax brackets so pensioners and beneficiaries and low income families pay no tax on their first 22k it makes a huge difference 
Two of my sons trolley boys have been there from day 1 - they have never been paid minimum wage - but the increase in the minimum wage plus the extra  stat day plus leave entitlements right across the entire food manufacturing growing and retailing section certainly bumped the prices - all his price changes are done electronically based on supplier cost increases- they do it at night and it’s like strobe lighting going round the entire shop - it stopped many times to update prices on April 1st