<figure class="wp-block-audio"></figure>

If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page, after the Vocabulary. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.

If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.

1. Listening for main ideas

First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?

2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:

1. What was in the news a lot in July?





2. By how much did food prices increase in the year to July 2025?





3. In July 2025, what was the average price for (i) butter, (ii) milk, and (iii) cheese?





4. Now listen to that section again. By what percentage did (i) butter, (ii) milk, and (iii) cheese increase from a year ago?





5. How much did a two-litre bottle of milk cost in 2020?





6. Which other foods does the speaker mention that have increased in price?





7. What two factors contribute to the rising food prices?

Text

Many people are commenting on the increase in food prices in New Zealand­­. The price of butter was in the news a lot in July and now people are discussing the price of mince.

According to Statistics New Zealand, food prices increased 5 percent in the 12 months to July 2025, compared to a 4.6 percent rise in the 12 months to June 2025. This was mainly because of higher prices for milk, butter, and cheese.

The average price for butter was $8.59 per 500 grams, up 42.2 percent from a year ago. That price is for the cheapest available option, but some blocks of butter can cost almost $11. The average price for milk was $4.70 per 2 litres, up 16 percent from last year and the average price for cheese was $13.01 per 1 kilogram block, up 29.5 percent. These average prices were also for the cheapest available options. Milk prices have been increasing steadily since 2020, when a 2-litre bottle of milk cost $3.50, but they have risen more sharply since August 2024 when a 2-litre bottle cost $4.06.

Increases in the prices for meat, poultry, and fish also contributed significantly to the annual increase in food prices. Beef steak was up 24.6 percent while beef mince was up 19.3 percent. The average price of 1 kilo of beef mince was $21.97 in July 2025, about $3.50 more than a year ago. At some shops it can even cost $30 a kilo.

It is sometimes hard to understand why these prices are so high, when the food is produced in New Zealand. One key factor is that 95 percent of the country’s dairy products are exported. That means there is a limited supply for the domestic market, which, alongside global demand, pushes up the local retail prices. Another contributing factor is that farmers face higher expenses, such as for feed, fertiliser, and energy costs.

Vocabulary

mince – meat, especially beef, that has been cut into very small pieces using a special machine

poultry – in this context, meat from birds such as chickens and ducks

beef – meat from a cow

steak – good quality beef, or a large thick piece of any good quality red meat

dairy – relating to milk and milk products

alongside – in this context, at the same time as

retail – the selling of goods to the public, usually through shops. The retail price is the price of something that is sold in a shop.

fertiliser – something that is added to soil to help plants grow more successfully

expense – the money that you spend on something

Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer

a. What was in the news a lot in July?

The price of butter

b. By how much did food prices increase in the year to July 2025?

5%

c. In July 2025, what was the average price for (i) butter, (ii) milk, and (iii) cheese?

Butter: $8.59 per 500 grams; milk: $4.70 per 2 litres; cheese: $13.01 per 1 kilogram block

d. Now listen to that section again. By what percentage did (i) butter, (ii) milk, and (iii) cheese increase from a year ago?

Butter: up 42.2%; milk: up 16%; cheese: up 29.5%

e. How much did a two-litre bottle of milk cost in 2020?

$3.50

f. Which other foods does the speaker mention that have increased in price?

Meat (beef steak and beef mince), poultry, and fish

g. What two factors contribute to the rising food prices?

95 percent of the country’s dairy products are exported, so there is a limited supply for the domestic market, which pushes up the local retail prices. Also, farmers face higher costs, such as for feed, fertiliser, and energy.