A father-of-three from New Zealand broke down in tears after making a surprising discovery when visiting an Australian supermarket for the first time.
Poreva Kirikava, who moved her family of five to Sydney from the North Island on December 13, couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the grocery prices at Aldi.
His family’s grocery bill totaled $380, a far cry from his home country, where he believes the same items would have cost them $1,000.
Her grocery purchase included a dozen eggs for $4, a whole raw chicken for $4.99 and a five-pack of two-minute Maggi noodles for $1.69.
The youth worker was “overwhelmed” with emotion when he realized he could now comfortably afford to feed his family in Australia, having experienced times in his life when he feared he would not be able to put food on the table.
The 33-year-old, who had been living paycheck to paycheck, explained how he struggled to make ends meet before moving to Australia to start a new life with his wife and children.
“As a parent, it was difficult to think of possible solutions to alleviate the financial pressure we face as a family, and it ate away at me,” Poreva told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My wife and I had enough (money), but it was still difficult to get by given the cost of living for basic things like bread, milk and eggs. Although times were difficult, we have never been left without help.’
Poreva Kirikava, a father of three, recently moved to Australia with his wife and three children.
In an emotional video posted to social media, the doting father said he burst into tears after realizing food was much cheaper in Australia, compared to New Zealand.
The doting father, who now earns $16 an hour more than he does in New Zealand, said he is in a much better position knowing he can now keep his pantry stocked.
“The wage increase has definitely helped buy a little more food so cupboards stay full longer,” Poreva told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Coming to Australia has definitely helped us financially as things are much cheaper here. I felt a sense of relief as soon as we moved here.’
He said he couldn’t believe how affordable his family’s living expenses were, despite Australians complaining every day about inflation and the rising cost of necessities.
In New Zealand, families paid up to $15 for a dozen eggs, while a 3-litre bottle of milk cost them $7.50, compared to $4.80 in Australia.
“Everything here seems much cheaper than in New Zealand, even if the difference is $1 or $2,” he said.
The father said he also noticed that petrol was much cheaper in Australia.
“Here I paid $1.89 for 98 unleaded, which is crazy,” he said, adding that in New Zealand, the same fuel would cost you $2.72.
The 33-year-old, who had been living paycheck to paycheck, explained how he was struggling to make ends meet before moving to Australia to start a new life with his wife and children.
Poreva is confident she can start saving for a family vacation.
“My dream is to take my family to America for a snow-white Christmas, and I think, unfortunately, that may be more possible here in Australia than in New Zealand,” he added.
in a emotional video Posted on social media, the devoted father detailed how he broke down in tears after doing his family’s weekly grocery shopping this week.
‘I’m not even joking. After shopping, I started crying because in New Zealand there were times when we thought we weren’t going to eat,” she recalled.
Reflecting on one occasion, he remembered that one of his children was looking in the pantry for snacks and couldn’t find anything.
‘He said, “Dad, there’s nothing to eat… There’s no snacks.” And I would get angry,” Poreva explained.
“Today I realized that I was not angry because he was hungry or there were no snacks, but because I felt like I couldn’t give them to him.”
The father said he was “overwhelmed” with emotion when he realized he could now afford to feed his family comfortably in Australia.
During a recent trip to an Aldi store in Sydney, the father was stunned to see how food in Australia was more affordable than at home.
“It was at a time when my wife and I were speechless after leaving Aldi,” he said.
‘Honestly, I think the amount of food shopping we did (here) would probably be equivalent to $1,000 in New Zealand. And that doesn’t mean Australia is better.
‘I cried because I had problems in New Zealand and I thought I was doing well by everyone’s standards. But after doing my shopping today in Sydney, I thought…man, I feel for the people there (New Zealand).
‘It’s crazy to think that’s just normal. We were excited because chicken nuggets are $2.50 a package here, it’s crazy. Honestly, it’s crazy living here.
An alarming survey has shown more than a third of Kiwis have considered moving to Australia in the past year, as poor economic prospects drive record numbers overseas.
This is an all-time high of 80,000 New Zealanders leaving overseas in the year to the end of September, with around half of them estimated to be heading to Australia.
New Zealand is in the throes of a “brain drain” as young Kiwis look for better jobs, better living expenses and wages across the ditch or further afield.