WELLINGTON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealanders continue to budget and save despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, a survey showed on Thursday.
New findings from Kiwibank's 2026 State of Savings Index found 61 percent of respondents said saving remained challenging, with 74 percent of that group citing the cost of living, particularly grocery bills, as the biggest saving barrier.
Among the 59 percent of New Zealanders who had a budget, 85 percent said they broadly stuck to it, while 44 percent reported saving regularly, the annual survey showed.
About 39 percent said they had made deliberate changes to boost savings, including reducing discretionary spending, changing grocery shopping habits and canceling subscriptions.
The survey also found 40 percent had taken on debt to cover rising living costs, most commonly through buy-now-pay-later services or loans from family and friends.
Some groups faced greater pressure than others, with Maori, Pacific peoples, renters and women more likely to say they struggled to save, according to the survey, which polled 1,534 New Zealand residents aged 18 and over in June. ■