As the sprialling costs of petrol, rent, mortgage servicing and food are emptying peoples’ wallets, Central Otago REAP is running a series of free financial wellness days on budgeting support.

The four and a half hour long courses are being run in Alexandra, Cromwell, Roxburgh and Wanaka in May and June. They are a collaboration between Central Otago Budgeting Services and CO REAP.

Topics covered are: Government (including options for support), different ways to budget, food budgeting and other budgeting tips. Morning tea will be provided but attendees will need to bring their own lunch.

CO REAP choices tutor and programme co-ordinator Emma McLean said there were still spots for the Cromwell course on Saturday May 21.

"There is such a strain on people with rising costs of living, petrol and food....then it's winter and there is heating too.

"Tutor Pam has such a wealth of knowledge, and there are day to day things [covered] relevant for everybody.

"Connecting with other support networks can be a big relief for people to know what's out there," Emma said.

Statistics New Zealand figures illustrate the rise in the costs of household basics.

For the March 2022 quarter the three middle-to-high spending household groups experienced the highest increase in annual living costs of all of the household groups.

In the March 2022 quarter their cost of living was 6.9 percent higher than in the March 2021 quarter.

Higher prices for petrol and interest payments contributed most to this increase.

Beneficiary and lowest-spending households experienced the smallest increase in cost of living of all of the household groups at 6.0 percent in the March 2022 quarter compared with the March 2021 quarter.

The beneficiary households’ cost of living increase was mainly influenced by higher prices for housing and household utilities, with increasing prices for rental housing.

“Beneficiary households typically spend a smaller proportion of their expenditure on petrol and interest payments, when compared with the average household, so are impacted less by these increases,” Statistics New Zealand consumer prices manager Matthew Stansfield said.

“However, rising rent prices impact beneficiary households more as they typically spend almost a third of their expenditure on rent.”

Māori households experienced a cost of living increase of 6.7 percent in the March 2022 quarter compared with the March 2021 quarter.

Higher prices for petrol, rentals for housing, and mortgage interest payments were the main drivers of the increase for Māori households.

For more information on the financial wellness days: CO REAP Courses or go to The Central App What's On Events button

REAP Central Otago was established in 1979 and is one of 13 REAPs in New Zealand who work to provide and facilitate life long learning opportunites within Central.