Cost of Living Is ‘Number 1’ Priority, Newly Sworn in NZ PM Says as Inflation Remains at 7.2 Percent

Cost of Living Is ‘Number 1’ Priority, Newly Sworn in NZ PM Says as Inflation Remains at 7.2 Percent
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to media during a post-cabinet press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Jan. 25, 2023. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Rebecca Zhu
Updated:

An increasing number of New Zealand families are feeling the pinch from the rising cost of living, as the inflation rate remained at a near three-decade high in the three months to December.

Stats NZ revealed the annual inflation rate in the December quarter remained stubbornly high at 7.2 percent.