Almost one in three households are still struggling to afford food, according to the 2026 Hunger Monitor.

“After three years of National, too many families are still struggling to put food on the table. Christopher Luxon promised to fix the cost of living and he has failed,” Labour social development and employment spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“Behind these numbers are families making impossible choices between food and a doctor’s visit, or keeping the kids warm and packing their school lunches.

“Last year, National turned down more than 88,000 food grants for Kiwis who needed help. This year, tens of thousands of pensioners and veterans had their payments wrongly cut.

“National has had three years to make life more affordable. Instead, families are still struggling to afford the basics. They deserve better than being told by Christopher Luxon to ‘cry me a river’.

“Labour has a plan to tackle the cost of living. We’ll take on the supermarket giants, crack down on companies ripping people off at the checkout and make price gouging illegal.

“We’ll bring back fresh, locally made school lunches, giving families one less meal to worry about and helping ease the pressure on household budgets.

“People work hard to provide for their families. They should be able to afford the basics without constantly worrying about what they’ll have to go without.

“This election the choice is between continuing with a coalition promising more cuts and a Labour Government focused on making everyday life more affordable," Willow Jean Prime said.