Report: Bay of Plenty people struggling to afford doctors, fruit and veg

If you've been feeling the pinch in recent years, you're not alone. A new Statistics NZ report reveals people in the Bay of Plenty have passed up a number of necessities in order to make ends meet. Reporter Jean Bell delves into the data to find where people are cutting costs and asks social agencies what they are seeing and why this might be.

More people in the Bay of Plenty say they are going without fresh vegetables and trips to the doctor, according to a new Statistics NZ report.

The General Social Survey asked Bay of Plenty residents what they had done to cut costs in the last 12 months. The survey was held between April 2016 to April 2017, and again from April 2018 to March 2019.

The latest survey revealed an estimated 8.5 per cent increase in people reporting they did not have enough, or only just enough, money.

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The report also found an estimated a 6.2 per cent increase in people going without fresh fruit or vegetables to keep costs down, an 8.9 per cent increase in people postponing or going to the doctor, and a 16.4 per cent increase in people delaying replacing or repairing broken appliances.

The increase in cost-cutting behaviour matched a national increase but Bay of Plenty people suffered a sharper rise than the national numbers, where 2.8 per cent more people said they had only just enough money.

Rotorua Budget Advisory Service manager Pakanui Tuhura said the service was juggling a large number of clients struggling to pay skyrocketing rents and manage the impact this had on other areas of their life, such as paying heating bills.

Tuhura said the number of people through the doors dropped slightly since 2016, but those people who did seek help had more complex issues that required more time and effort for staff to resolve.

He said people could be eligible for financial assistance from the Ministry of Social Development, regardless of whether they were on the benefit or not, and community organisations could also help.

"There is a wide variety of support out there but people need to know how to connect," Tuhura said. "And in many cases, they feel embarrassed about doing so."

Rotorua Salvation Army community ministries programme co-ordinators, Jodi Hoare, and community ministries manager, Tania Hore, said the numbers reflected the reality of an increasing cost of living with relatively stagnant wages.

Low incomes, increasing rent, lack of financial knowledge and high levels of debt were among the main challenges people faced, Hore and Hoare said in an email.

Hoare said people needed access to financial advice that was relevant to their life situation and taught them to save and use money as a tool.

"It may be putting $2 or $3 aside each week but that amount gradually builds up," she said.

Ministry of Social Development statistics showed a total of 101,327 benefits were given out in 2016, 98,087 in 2017, and in 98,973 in 2018.

Ministry regional commissioner Mike Bryant said the ministry was there to help with a range of supports available to people and families facing immediate hardship, including Special Needs Grants to assist with unexpected bills, and budgeting services to assist with their finances.

"We encourage anyone who is experiencing hardship, or needs assistance, to get in touch to discuss what supports are available."