WELLINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's food prices rose by 2.4 percent in the year leading up to February 2025, after a 2.3 percent increase in the 12 months to January 2025, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Friday.

The annual increase in food prices was driven by higher prices for the grocery food group and the restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food group, up 4.3 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, Stats NZ said.

The price increase for grocery food was due to higher prices for milk, butter, and olive oil, said Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden.

Fruit and vegetables was the only group, out of the five groups in the food basket, to record lower prices, falling 6.2 percent in the 12 months to February 2025, driven by lower prices for kumara, potatoes, and onions, Growden said.

On a monthly term, food prices decreased 0.5 percent in February 2025, following a 1.9 percent rise in January 2025, she said, adding February's fall was driven by a 3.6 percent fall of prices for fruit and vegetables.

"Prices for seasonal fresh produce were cheaper in February," Growden said, adding specials for Valentine's Day also contributed to lower food prices, with boxed-chocolate prices down about 26 percent in the month.

Besides foods, international airfare prices decreased 5 percent in the 12 months to February 2025, statistics show.

"Getting to your overseas destination was cheaper than this time last year, while the cost of staying there was more expensive," Growden said, adding overseas accommodation prices have increased 1.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2025. Enditem

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