Royters

There is something in the kiwi psyche that makes us reluctant to complain, even when it is justified to do so. Sometimes we are just unsure about how to go about making a complaint – it’s certainly not easy at times as demonstrated by this correspondence I received recently:

Dear Minister, I have a complaint about banking practices. I began by contacting the bank involved, with no success. Then I approached the Banking Ombudsman, who suggested the Reserve Bank, who directed me to the Commerce Commission when I should have brought this to you, as Consumer Affairs Minister, first! My correspondent is no alone in this type of merry-go-round.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of launching a new initiative by the Disputes Investigation Group : ‘Complaint Line’. Complaint Line is an online resource to help consumers find the correct organisation or person to direct their complaint to. This tool is a welcome addition to other providers such as Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law offices and will provide consumers with a quick and easy guide to avenues of complaint.

I’m told that there are around 37,500 consumers each year with unresolved complaints which they might consider escalating to a disputes resolution body. Around 31% of consumers don’t know how or where to pursue a dispute. Tools like Complaint Line are important in facilitating the complaint procedure and taking the frustration out of finding the correct organisation which can help resolve the problem.

Making issues known and having complaints heard by the appropriate organisation is an extremely important step to weeding out bad business and highlighting areas of misinformation or consumer misunderstanding. I urge anyone who has a consumer issue which is unresolved to make their complaint known. To identify the correct agency or person who can help, visit Complaintline at http://www.complaintline.org.nz/

I believe simplicity is the key to effective market activity. Last year I asked my Ministry of Consumer Affairs staff to explore how to simplify consumer laws and remedies, an exercise which I have called 'One Law - One Door'. 'One Door' refers to my goal for there to be one place – a single portal - where consumers can explain their problem and get information on where to direct their complaint and how, so that it can be resolved promptly.

Complaint Line is a complementary and welcome addition to the range of resources available for consumers needing to access advice, and sits well alongside my plans for “One Door”. I am looking forward to hearing of its success.

I’m amazed at the number of letters I receive as Minister of Consumer Affairs from people about the price of food, and yes, the price of milk is the most common. Food prices fluctuate wildly due to a wide range of factors and people tend to notice the price increases but not the decreases.

Last week Statistics New Zealand released the Food Price Index: February 2010 Report.

The report showed that overall food prices in New Zealand dropped by 1.3% in February following a small rise in January. The majority of food groups recorded a drop in prices with fruit and vegetable prices down by 3.5% and meat, poultry and fish down by 2.4%.

Within these categories there are a variety of factors contributing to the change in prices which highlights how variable these statistics are. In February a major reason for the price drop in the fruit and vegetable group was that new season apples became available so prices for apples dropped by a staggering 26.6%. The price drop in the meat, poultry and fish category was due in part to specialising of sirloin/porterhouse steak during the month of February which resulted in a price decrease of 17.6%.

The massive decreases highlighted above show how seasonality of fresh produce (such as apples) and how marketing specials by supermarkets and food retailers contribute greatly to fluctuations in the food price index in New Zealand. With this in mind it is important for consumers who are conscious of price to shop around when doing their weekly food shop as supermarket loss-leading tactics and arrivals of seasonal produce at local markets can make a big difference to the cost of groceries.

For more information about the food price index for February 2010, and historical records, visit the Statistics New Zealand website at the following link:
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/prices_ind...

For the last 16 years TrustPower has run a Community Awards programme, at both regional and national level to recognise and reward volunteers. The Awards are now New Zealand’s largest awards programme for voluntary groups and organisations.

Last night I was invited to assist in presenting the 2009 Awards in Nelson at the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum. I was standing in for Community and Voluntary sector Minister Tariana Turia and was delighted to put my hand up and volunteer for the job!

The winner of the overall award was chosen from 25 regional finalists. I was pleased not to have had to choose the winner – all entries were impressive in their innovation and commitment to the community in terms of time, skill and expertise. I’ve always tried to take on one voluntary ‘job’ at any given time but the projects taken on by the people I met last night put any of my contributions to volunteering well and truly in the shade.

The winner was the Friends of Motueka Hospital Trust and they were clearly a popular choice amongst the other finalists. In 1992 the local hospital in Motueka was threatened with closure. The ‘Friends’ formed to raise $180,000 to save the hospital. To ensure sustainability they carried on to raise enough to build and operate a new 45 bed hospital and there are now plans to build another wing.

The evening was a sobering reminder of the huge amount of volunteer work that goes on around New Zealand. There are over 97,000 non-profit organisations in NZ, more than 1.2 million kiwis volunteer annually and the non-profit sector contributes almost 5% of GDP to the New Zealand economy

On Wednesday I had a Defence Day, visiting Whangaparoa Training Facility and HMNZS Ngapona. My visit to Tamaki Leadership Centre in Whangaparoa marked the end of a defence real estate tour I started early last year. The Royal New Zealand Navy uses this area predominantly for training naval recruits and officers and it is also well utilised by cadets, military reserve units, the other services and sometimes other security based agencies such as Police and Customs. I had the opportunity to meet some of the new recruits over lunch and hear about their training. They are currently in the midst of the weapons training and spirits were high after the whole unit had passed their annual weapons qualification that morning. I was even able to give them a few tips from my own training in the Territorial Force!

Having come to the end of one tour, I began another later in the day with a visit to the Ngapona Naval Reserves Unit. Throughout the year I will visit all of the RNZNVR Units – HMNZS Ngapona sub-unit in Tauranga, HMNZS Toroa in Dunedin, HMNZS Olphert in Wellington and HMNZS Pegasus in Christchurch. At HMNZS Ngapona I really enjoyed talking to the ratings (a junior rank in the Navy) and officers about their involvement in the Reserves and their training. There was a lot of excitement among the unit about the possibility of training with the new Project Protector fleet of ships.

Reservists come from all walks of life and generously give up their time to serve the country. From my own experience, I appreciate how challenging it can be to manage involvement in the Reserves, which requires regular training and parading, along with other commitments such as work and family. It was wonderful to be able to show my appreciation for the work they do and I am looking forward to meeting the other units in the near future.

For more photos from these visits click here.