Online grocery option as supermarket moves north

Shoppers in Warkworth, Omaha, Matakana and Snells Beach now have an extra option for buying groceries, with online supermarket Supie extending its delivery area north of Auckland. The door-to-door delivery service was launched in 2021 with the aim of breaking the supermarket duopoly, and it claims to have some of the lowest prices in New Zealand, as well as access to the freshest fruit and vegetables.

On a sample selection of nine grocery items last month, which included bananas, butter, mince, cheese, eggs and bread, the total Supie price of just under $49 was between $8 and $12 cheaper than Warkworth New World and Countdown respectively, the company claimed. However, Supie does charge delivery fees on top, although it has a membership option where customers can receive free delivery and extra discounts on all purchases.

Founder Sarah Balle said the vision for Supie was to provide a supplier-friendly and customer-focused approach to food retailing, with a long-term goal of ensuring that all Kiwis have access to healthy, affordable food, no matter where they live.

Balle said she was aware of the problems being caused by inflation and the increasing cost of living, and Supie passed on savings generated by the efficiencies of its online-

Unsealed roads set to get budget boost

Significant and long-awaited improvements in unsealed road maintenance might finally be on the cards from July, despite sweeping spending cuts elsewhere to plug Auckland Council’s $325 million budget deficit.

The revised budget package being voted on this week includes a proposal to more than double the amount Auckland Transport (AT) is spending in maintaining unsealed roads, from $2.4 million to $5.1 million per year.

The proposed increase is the result of sustained lobbying by Rodney Councillor Greg Sayers, Rodney Local Board members and many local residents, all of whom are fed up with the state of rural roads.

for far too long,” Sayers said.

However, he was concerned that the $4 million annual budget to seal more Rodney roads would not be increased, despite what he said was a need for $12 million a year just to cope with the region’s increased traffic levels.

But he said the Mayor’s interest in seeing rural regions being treated fairly was a big improvement on the past, with significant progress on roading in particular, and he praised his leadership in recognising the poor state of Auckland’s unsealed roads.

“It is just the beginning; the more Kiwis that shop with Supie, the lower our prices will be,” she said.

Supie’s currently supplies more than 7000 supermarket products, as well a range of gift boxes, special bundle deals and no waste items.

The arrival of Supie coincides with the imminent opening of another contender for cut price groceries, with Pak’nSave Warkworth due to begin trading on June 20.

To find out where Supie delivers, visit https://supie.co.nz/, press the ‘Join Supie for free’ button and type in your address.

Sayers said road maintenance was a core council function and Mayor Wayne Brown wanted to see better standards in the way the unsealed roads were physically worked on. “By working collaboratively, we have been able to achieve this substantial increase, when in many other areas, Council spending is being reduced,” said Sayers. He said if approved, the spending package would allow for the number of grading crews to be increased from three to five, which would mean more roads being graded more often.

Extra money would also be available to buy more metal to use on the roads, as well as to ensure culverts were properly maintained and kept clear.

“This is extremely good news for rural ratepayers, who have been short changed

“For the first time since the formation of the Supercity, the Mayor has given a statutory letter of expectation to the board of AT with specific wording mandating improvements to unsealed roads,” he said. That directive states: “Ensure the road maintenance and renewal program is adequate and supports the whole region, including rural roads. This includes improvements to the rural road maintenance and sealing program, and targets to ensure prompt completion of simple road repairs.”

Sayers said he had been working closely with the Mayor since the beginning of the year to achieve a fairer allocation of the general rates collected from rural ratepayers to be spent for rural ratepayers.

“Even though this is a difficult financial time for Auckland Council, I will continue to push for a fair share of spending back into Rodney,” he said.