NZ food prices rise an annual 1%, rental price inflation steady

NZ food prices rise an annual 1%, rental price inflation steady
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard May 13 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand food prices rose an annual 1 percent in April as a lift in minimum wage kicked in while a new measure showed that rental price inflation was steady in April.  The 1 percent annual rise in food prices followed a 1.2 percent annual rise in March. Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food increased 3.2 percent on the year in April and were up 0.9 percent versus March. Stats NZ said the rise coincided with a $1.20 an hour increase in the minimum wage from April 1. “Prices for restaurant...