The Star: May 12, 2022

The Star Thursday May 12 2022
4
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
‘Not a marketing stunt’
• From page 1
He said the food price cuts on
some items were not a marketing
stunt.
“This is not a marketing
stunt. It’s a real saving for our
customers and a real cost to our
business, as a result of this price
rollback our stores will be selling
some items below cost. Other
promotions will continue over
this time,” said Quin.
“These are extraordinary
times and Kiwis must be able to
afford the everyday items they
need in their weekly shop over
the next few months. As locally
owned co-operatives we have a
responsibility to step up and our
store owners are committed to
this initiative.”
The move by Foodstuffs follows
that of rival supermarket
chain Countdown, which last
week announced it would
implement a prize freeze during
winter.
Countdown said it would not
be increasing – or decreasing
– the price of more than 500
essential grocery items over
winter. This included items such
as diced tomatoes, butter, cheese,
sugar, flour, deli meats, hot roast
chicken, carrots and pumpkin.
Countdown managing director
Spencer Sonn said the move
aimed to “buck the current
inflationary environment” and
that the company was “receiving
millions of dollars of cost
increase requests every month
from suppliers who were facing
higher fuel, raw material and
freight costs.”
The average increase request
by its suppliers was just over
nine per cent, it said.
“As we head into the chillier
months, the cost of living is
undeniably top of everyone’s
minds,” said Sonn.
“We want to help Kiwis’ money
go further despite the pressures
everyone is facing with increasing
costs, and that’s why we’ve
pledged that the price of these
500-plus essentials won’t change.”
The $22 billion grocery sector
– namely New Zealand’s two
major supermarkets Foodstuffs
and Countdown – has come
under scrutiny over the past few
months following a market study
by the Commerce Commission
which has found the lack of competition
problematic.
The duopoly is “not working
for consumers”, according to the
commission.
It was revealed in March that
supermarkets in this country
make in excess of $1 million in
profits each day.
Commerce and Consumer
Affairs Minister David Clark
said consumers would get better
prices if there was more competition,
and has pledged to take
action to achieve that.
As a first step, the Government
would be making it easier for supermarkets
to enter the market
by opening up more sites.
Moving forward there would
be a new regime around wholesale
supply, as well as a mandatory
code of conduct, addressing
issues like bargaining power, and
resolution schemes, he said.
‘Why are these kids out
there in the first place?’
• From page 1
One prolific offender behind
multiple suspected car thefts
across Christchurch is understood
to be a 10-year-old boy.
Others are believed to be
12-years-old and early teens.
“Police are aware of vehicles
stolen by youths recently in the
Christchurch region,” a police
spokeswoman said,
“The reasons young
people are involved in
this type of offending
[are] complex. There are
several factors that can
contribute including
the influence of social
media. It’s not an issue
police can address
alone.”
Under New Zealand
law, children aged 10-11 can
only be prosecuted for murder,
manslaughter or minor traffic
offences.
Young people, defined as those
aged 14-16, can be charged and
dealt with by the youth justice
system, while 12-13-year-olds
may be charged in the Youth
Court at the police’s discretion.
Anyone aged 17 and over are
treated as adults in the general
court system.
Police work closely with partner
agencies to manage youth
offenders, support their whānau
and provide prevention opportunities,
the spokeswoman said.
“If you see any suspicious
activity, such as people loitering
around vehicles or looking into
car windows, please contact
Police immediately by phoning
111,” she said.
Police Minister Poto Williams
told Newstalk ZB’s The Mike
Hosking Breakfast on Monday
the Auckland ram raids
were not just a problem
for police.
“Why are these kids out
there in the first place?
Why are seven, eight,
nine and 10-year-olds
out in the middle of the
night?”
Poto Statistics released by
Williams insurer AMI last month
revealed that the Demio
is easily the most targeted car in
the country.
Of the 12,000 claims AMI
received between 2019 and 2021,
the Demio accounted for 10
per cent of the total, in spite of
making up just 1.5 per cent of the
country’s fleet.
The next most popular car for
thieves was the Mazda Atenza,
followed by Nissan Tiida, Subaru
Legacy, and Mazda Familia.
AMI data shows that 94 per
cent of Demios are recovered
– often after a few hours of
joyriding.
– NZ Herald