$380 Aldi grocery shop brings NZ dad to tears after move to Australia: ‘Unbelievable’

by Admin
December 16, 2024

Dad-of-three Poreva Kirikava moved back to Sydney with his family this week. · Source: Instgram/Supplied

A New Zealand dad was moved to tears doing his first grocery shop at Aldi since relocating to Australia. More Kiwis than ever before are moving to Australia, with many lured across the ditch by greater job opportunities and higher wages as the cost-of-living crisis hits hard.

Poreva Kirikava moved back to Sydney from Papamoa in Tauranga with his family last week after living in New Zealand for nearly two years. The 33-year-old father-of-three told Yahoo Finance he broke down when it hit him that he could afford to feed his family in Australia.

The youth worker spent $380 on the Aldi grocery shop he estimated could have easily cost him $1,000 in New Zealand.

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“It was unbelievable. I freaked out because in New Zealand a normal shop was $200 to $300 for a family of five and that’s just the first few days, not to mention running out of milk and butter and bread,” he said.

“Whereas here, we got meat, fruit, veg … I got back to the car after buying that many groceries and it was overwhelming.

“My wife and I were speechless and I literally started crying because I just felt like I could afford things now.”

There were weeks in New Zealand when Kirikava didn’t know if his family was going to be able to eat.

He described the cost of living as unbearable, noting that even though he was considered to be “doing well” by others’ standards, he felt deep financial insecurity.

“That was the struggle of living in New Zealand,” he said.

“As beautiful as it is, it came down to taking in the lifestyle and all New Zealand has to offer but not being able to feed your kids.

“I knew I was supposed to be providing for my family and sometimes I didn’t know where the food was going to come from.”

Meat in Australia was $1 or $2 less and a five-pack of noodles was “dirt cheap” at $1.69.

Even the cost of basics like salt, pepper and spices took him by surprise, with $2.40 chicken nuggets leaving him feeling “buzzing”.

Do you have a cost-of-living story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

Poreva Kirikava and family — Kirikava said he was paid about $17 more per hour as a youth worker in Australia and could now spend more time with his kids. · Source: Instagram/Supplied

“People think $1 or $2 ain’t a difference but when you’re buying like 20 or 30 different items, it can really add up,” he said.

“Then the fact that New Zealand doesn’t have an Aldi or any competitors to Pak‘nSave and Woolies, that kind of just drives the prices up.

“Even living there for the last two years, it’s been quite hard if I’m being honest and [we] were earning good money.”

New Zealand’s consumer watchdog levelled allegations against Woolworths and Pak’nSave for inaccurate pricing and misleading specials just last week.

Kirikava and his wife, who is Australian, were offered jobs in Australia that paid “significantly” more than those they had in New Zealand.

“It’s a $17 difference,” he told Yahoo Finance.

“I was on $30 something in New Zealand [as a casual youth worker] and now I’m on $46 to $47 depending on the date and time that I work, which means I can work less and be at home more.”

Having to decide between providing for his family and being present for his sons — aged 2, 4 and 8 — left Kirikava in a constant “tug of war” in New Zealand.

Now, he has secured higher wages, lower taxes and found more affordable groceries

“It means I don’t have to work as much and I can see my kids grow up,” he said.

“My main driving factors are my three boys and my wife.”

The cost of rent was comparable, with the family paying $720 per week for a four-bedroom home in Gledswood Hills in Sydney compared to $740 per week in Papamoa.

He also expects cheaper electricity bills, with his extended family in Australia paying $400 to $600 per quarter, compared to the $100 per week he was paying in New Zealand.

Kirikava said the high cost of bills meant the family was “always pulling from somewhere” to cover costs, whether that be from their food budget or taking out loans to get by.

The New Zealand dad is one of many Kiwis flocking to Australia.

A record 79,700 Kiwis have left the country in the year to September, with half of those estimated to have moved to Australia.

A recent research poll from Freshwater Strategy with The Post and Sunday Star-Times found more than a third of New Zealand voters had seriously considered emigrating to Australia in the past 12 months.

Kirikava, who first moved to Australia in 2011 from New Zealand, said it had been a positive experience for his family to return to Australia.

He said he had received an outpouring of support from local community groups, with many offering to give his family furniture as they settled back to Australia.

“Moving back four days ago. For me, personally, I felt like I was at home,” he said.

“I felt like this is where I belong.”

His biggest goal for 2025?

“Keep the cupboards and freezer full,” he said.

“I don’t care about anything else.”

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