Food waste

The average New Zealand household wastes an estimated $1,364 per year in food, based on a Rabobank-KiwiHarvest study of NZ household food waste (2025). Savings are estimated as a proportion of this baseline, scaled using square root scaling (sM) to reflect the partially shared nature of household food preparation and storage.

Households that waste food “often” are estimated to waste above the average baseline. The savings ranges reflect the reduction in wasted food cost from changing habits — buying in smaller quantities, meal planning, and using leftovers.

Source: Rabobank-KiwiHarvest NZ Household Food Waste Study 2025; Stats NZ Household Economic Survey 2023.

Eating

Savings are estimated from the cost difference between red meat meals and lower-cost alternatives, using a meal-cost methodology rather than average household expenditure data. This approach is more accurate for households that regularly eat red meat, since population-average expenditure figures understate the saving for frequent consumers.

Typical cost of a red meat meal for a 2.5-person household: $30–$60, depending on cut (mince to premium steak). Typical cost of a chicken or fish alternative: $15–$25. Typical cost of a plant-based alternative: $5–$15. The savings range in the tool spans this full spread — from the more modest poultry/fish swap at the lower end to a plant-based shift at the upper end. Savings scale linearly with household size (sL).

The climate case for reducing red meat is also strong: beef and lamb have significantly higher greenhouse gas footprints per meal than poultry, fish, or plant-based alternatives. While this tool focuses on financial savings, the two signals point in the same direction.

Sources: Stats NZ food price data; MBIE household expenditure surveys; NZ supermarket retail pricing (2025–2026).

Chain takeaway

Savings are estimated from the cost of chain restaurant and food delivery app meals compared with home cooking, using a meal-cost methodology. Chain takeaway for a 2.5-person household typically costs $35–$60 per occasion (fast food to app delivery with fees). Home cooking equivalent: $10–$15. Net saving per occasion: $20–$45.

Frequency assumptions: “more than once a week” = 2 occasions per week; “2–4 times a month” = 3 occasions per month; “once a month or less” = 12 occasions per year.

This question concerns chain fast food and delivery apps only — not local independent cafes and restaurants, which GoZero actively encourages as part of local community economy building.

Source: NZ food cost surveys 2024–25; Stats NZ Household Economic Survey 2023.

Mobile phones

Savings reflect the difference in annualised replacement cost between more and less frequent upgrade cycles. A typical smartphone in NZ costs $700–$1,500. Extending replacement from annually to every three to four years reduces annualised cost by roughly $175–$300 per person per year. Savings are scaled linearly by household size (sL).

Source: Canstar NZ Mobile Phone Market Report, April 2026; MoneyHub NZ Mobile Plan Comparison 2026.

Mobile phone plans

Savings reflect the difference between premium and budget mobile plan costs. Premium plans in NZ typically cost $65–$120 per month; budget and prepay plans $15–$35 per month. Savings are scaled linearly by household size (sL) to reflect multiple household members potentially on expensive plans.

Source: Canstar NZ Mobile Plan Comparison, April 2026; MoneyHub NZ.

Other devices (computers, tablets, TVs, gaming consoles)

Savings are estimated from the difference in annualised replacement cost between current upgrade habits and extending device life. A laptop or TV typically costs $800–$2,500. These figures are not scaled by household size as devices are typically shared.

Source: Canstar NZ; Consumer NZ product life expectancy research.

Home appliances

Savings are estimated from the difference in annualised replacement cost between households that replace appliances proactively and those that use them for their full lifespan through maintenance and minor repairs. The methodology mirrors the "Other devices" approach: annualised cost = purchase price ÷ expected lifespan.

The tool covers four major appliances: fridge, washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher. Combined mid-range replacement value is estimated at approximately $7,000, based on current NZ retail pricing for reasonable-quality brands (e.g. Bosch, Fisher & Paykel mid-tier). Oven, cooktop, and standalone freezer are not included — these have longer lifespans and different replacement dynamics.

Lifespan assumptions draw on a 2025 NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) study of real-world appliance lifetimes, which found modern major appliances operate for 10–15 years, with proactive replacement occurring at around 5–6 years and well-maintained units reaching 12–14 years:

• Proactive replacement (new models/features): ~5.5 years — annualised cost ~$1,270/yr
• Replace on fault: ~9 years — annualised cost ~$780/yr
• Maintain well and repair: ~13 years — annualised cost ~$540/yr

Energy efficiency differences between appliance generations are real but comparatively small (EECA estimates a 5-star vs 2-star washing machine saves approximately the cost of six bottles of detergent per year). Efficiency is therefore not the primary driver of savings in this card — the replacement cycle is.

Sources: NTNU (2025) real-world appliance lifetime study; EECA energy efficiency data; NZ retail pricing (Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, 2026).

Streaming services

Savings are calculated from actual NZ subscription costs. Monthly costs used: Netflix standard $22.99, Disney+ $19.99, Neon $19.99, other streaming services approximately $14–$18 per month. Savings represent the full annual cost of cancelling unused services. The question asks only about services the household does not regularly use — an intentionally conservative framing.

Source: Published NZ subscription pricing, May 2026.

Other subscriptions (gym, music, software, gaming, news, AI)

Monthly cost assumptions: gym $55; music streaming $16; software/cloud $14; gaming $15; news/magazines $12; AI tools $25. Annual savings are calculated as monthly cost × 11–13 months, reflecting variation in exact plan costs.

Source: Published NZ pricing for common services, April–May 2026.

Satellite / cable TV

Savings are based on published Sky NZ subscription pricing. Standard packages cost $55–$100+ per month. Cancelling saves $660–$1,200 per year; downgrading saves $300–$600 per year. Unscaled as satellite TV is a household-level subscription.

Source: Sky NZ published pricing, May 2026.

Clothing and footwear

The Stats NZ Household Economic Survey 2023 reports average clothing and footwear spending of $35 per week per household. This is a population average that includes households that rarely buy new clothing; frequent buyers spend significantly more. The upper end of savings ranges for weekly shoppers reflects households spending $60–$100+ per week. Savings are scaled linearly (sL).

Source: Stats NZ Household Economic Survey 2023.

Homewares and furniture

Stats NZ HES 2023 reports average household spending on furnishings and household equipment of approximately $70 per week. As with clothing, this is a population average; frequent buyers spend significantly more. Savings are scaled using square root scaling (sM) to reflect the partially shared nature of household goods.

Source: Stats NZ Household Economic Survey 2023.

Online shopping

This card addresses discretionary purchases made through large international online marketplaces — items that are often impulse-bought at low apparent cost, that would not typically be purchased from a local retailer, and that frequently have short useful lives. The sufficiency case is not simply about cost but about supply chain resilience: money spent through these channels leaves the local economy entirely and supports production and logistics systems with significant resource and carbon footprints.

Savings are estimated from observed household spending patterns on international online platforms. NZ Post data (2024) shows approximately 20% of all online retail spend in New Zealand goes to international retailers, a share that is growing rapidly. Combined platform engagement (across Temu, Shein, Amazon, AliExpress and similar) means many households are spending more frequently than single-platform data suggests.

Figures are necessarily approximate given limited per-household NZ survey data. The ranges reflect the realistic spread between light users (a few purchases per year, modest amounts) and regular users (several times a month, material annual spend). Savings scale linearly with household size (sL).

Sources: NZ Post E-commerce Spotlight 2024; Tearfund/Horizon Research NZ survey (2024); Stats NZ retail trade data.

Insurance

Savings are estimated from the difference between current insurance premiums and the best available comparable cover obtained through comparison shopping. NZ households that have not compared insurance in the past two to three years typically pay 15–30% more than the best available comparable price. Unscaled as insurance is a household-level cost.

Source: Quashed NZ Insurance Comparison Market Report, Q4 2025.

Heating behaviour (thermostat and room management)

Savings are estimated from electricity cost reductions from behavioural changes, using the Wellington residential electricity price of 34.61 cents per kWh (MBIE, November 2025). Reducing the thermostat by one degree Celsius saves approximately 5–10% of heating energy. Heating only occupied rooms reduces energy use by 20–30% compared with heating the whole home.

These figures reflect behaviour change only — switching to a heat pump or other electrification technology produces larger savings but requires capital investment of $3,000–$8,000. See Rewiring Aotearoa and EECA for guidance on electrification pathways. Savings scaled using square root scaling (sM).

Source: MBIE Quarterly Survey of Domestic Energy Prices (QSDEP), November 2025; EECA home heating efficiency guidance; BRANZ NZ housing energy performance data.

Overview and approach

Transport savings are calculated differently from household savings. Rather than using population-average expenditure data, the transport calculator uses a vehicle-by-vehicle cost model based on Wellington-specific assumptions. This produces more accurate estimates for the specific decision a household is considering.

The calculator estimates running costs only. Vehicle value, depreciation and any proceeds from selling a vehicle are deliberately excluded. A vehicle sale is a one-off capital event, not a recurring saving, and including it would overstate what a household can transfer to a Resilience Fund each month. Vehicle costs are modelled at the standard (typical mid-range) tier for the selected category.

All figures assume approximately 9,000 km per year of driving — consistent with the New Zealand average for Wellington urban households (NZTA, 2024). Fuel price assumption: $3.40 per litre (May 2026). Public transport replacement costs use Metlink Snapper card fares.

Transport savings are shown separately from everyday changes in the Savings Viewer. The Resilience Fund opens at the everyday figure, which can be transferred straight away, and rises to include transport once that change has actually been made. Going car-free or downsizing is a major structural decision that may take months to complete, so the two are sequenced rather than combined.

Vehicle running costs

Annual fixed and variable costs by vehicle category (Wellington, 2026):

• Small hatch / sedan: $2,200 fixed (insurance, rego, WoF, servicing) + $0.42/km running = $5,980/yr at 9,000 km
• Medium sedan / SUV: $2,800 fixed + $0.46/km = $6,940/yr
• Large SUV: $3,400 fixed + $0.53/km = $8,170/yr
• Ute / 4WD: $3,800 fixed + $0.54/km = $8,660/yr

Destination parking is optional and scales proportionally with commute days: $80 per week × commute days/5 × 48 weeks per year. At 5 days per week this adds $3,840 per year.

Source: AA NZ Vehicle Running Costs Guide 2025–26; NZTA vehicle registration data; IRD kilometre rates 2026.

Alternative transport costs

For households going car-free, the calculator subtracts estimated replacement transport costs:

• Active travel (e-bike / cycling): $4,500 one-off purchase + $200/yr maintenance
• Public transport (Metlink): Snapper card fares based on commute distance and frequency, annualised over 44 weeks. Fares: short (<3 km) $2.68; typical (3–15 km) $4.67; long (15–35 km) $6.39; regional (35+ km) $12.78 per trip.
• Mix of both: Half public transport commute + e-bike costs

Non-commute trips are assumed to be replaceable by active travel, local trips, or occasional car sharing at negligible net cost. This is a Wellington-specific assumption reflecting the density and walkability of most Wellington urban areas.

Source: Metlink Wellington published Snapper fares, May 2026; e-bike market pricing NZ.

Rough estimates

When a household chooses “Give me a rough estimate” rather than the precise calculator, savings are shown as ranges based on vehicle operating costs across all categories, net of a typical public transport replacement cost of approximately $2,000 per year. Parking costs are excluded from rough estimates as they are unknown without vehicle-specific information. These ranges are:

• Going car-free (one car): $4,000–$7,000/yr
• Reducing to one car / going car-free (two cars): $4,000–$7,000 / $8,000–$14,000/yr
• Reducing to two / one / car-free (three cars): $4,000–$7,000 / $8,000–$14,000 / $12,000–$21,000/yr

The precise calculator above gives a more accurate figure by accounting for your specific vehicle type, age, commute pattern, and parking costs.

The rebound effect

GoZero’s sufficiency-first approach explicitly addresses the rebound effect — the tendency for savings from reduced consumption to be spent on other goods and services, potentially offsetting environmental benefits. The Resilience Fund mechanism is designed to redirect savings toward household resilience, local businesses, and community investment rather than further consumption. This is why the Savings Viewer shows not just how much you could save, but where those savings could go.

What is not included

The following are deliberately excluded from savings calculations:

• International travel — financial savings from reducing overseas holidays are real but depend heavily on individual travel patterns and are not modelled.
• Vehicle depreciation and sale proceeds — excluded entirely. Both are one-off capital effects rather than ongoing savings, and the Resilience Fund is built from recurring cash flow.
• Electrification — heat pumps, solar and EVs are not modelled. Their running-cost benefits are real but depend heavily on the technology, the installation and the household, and their capital costs are substantial.

Prices and data currency

All figures are in New Zealand dollars and reflect NZ market prices as of April–May 2026. Prices change over time; this methodology page is updated periodically to reflect significant changes in source data.

Figures on this page are stated per year, which is how the underlying data is held. The tool itself displays monthly figures throughout, since that is the unit households budget in and the unit the Resilience Fund is transferred in. Annual figures are divided by twelve and rounded, so a monthly figure multiplied by twelve may differ by a dollar or two from the annual figure quoted here.