LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND - Shopping in NZ

The majority of shops open at 9am and close at 5.30pm Monday to Friday. Most supermarkets open earlier and close later, and some stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some stores have one late night a week in which they stay open till 9pm. In the larger shopping centres, the late night for shopping is usually Thursday and Friday nights. Most shops in the main centres and shopping malls open on weekends. Other shops (i.e. takeaway and petrol stations) stay open 24 hours a day.

Some of the main shops in New Zealand are: Supermarkets Large stores that specialise in selling groceries and some essential household items. Many supermarkets also sell wine and have a special seafood and fruit section. They have ample free car parking and trolleys to carry your goods.

Medical Insurance

With insurance, you pay an annual fee and when you need medical treatment, you claim a refund for the cost from your insurance company. To do this you must contact St George and we will process the claim for you. You just have to provide receipts for the costs incurred, such as doctor's receipts and prescription receipts and a description of what the treatment was for. It is St George’s policy that all international students must have total health-care and travel insurance cover. This ensures that in the event of any medical problems you are covered for most costs incurred. St George uses the services of Southern Cross insurance company and includes the cost of insurance in the initial cost of studying in New Zealand. Insurance is usually issued for one year at a time - therefore it needs to be renewed after this time if you are studying in New Zealand for longer than one year .

Some health services in New Zealand are free, however some are not. Some services are free to New Zealanders but not to international students or visitors. Insurance can cover the costs of those services not provided by the government. Insurance does not normally cover medical conditions that existed before the insurance was taken. Click here to find out the fees.

Shopping Options:

Most shops in New Zealand offer you a choice of payment options other than cash. These include:

• Layby
  - You pay a small deposit on the item. You continue to make regular payments and collect the item when you have paid in full.
• Hire purchase
  - is available for large and expensive items such as household goods or cars. Stores that advertise "easy terms", "time payment", "no deposit" and "18 months interest free" are offering hire purchase. Under a hire purchase agreement, the purchaser usually pays a deposit on the item, but can take the item away with him/her. The purchaser will continue to make regular repayments until they have paid the outstanding amount in full. The purchaser does not legally own the item until it has been paid in full. The amount you pay usually includes interest, an administration fee and insurance on your purchase. A hire purchase contract is a legal agreement. It is important to check the contract before committing yourself

Consumer Rights in New Zealand

In New Zealand, there are laws to protect the rights of consumers. If you need help on a consumer rights issue, it is important for you to contact your lawyer or Community Law Centre.

If you want to protect your rights, always keep receipts, papers, documents and advertising clippings about the goods or services you buy. They are useful to have if something goes wrong and you want to complain.

New Zealand has two important pieces of legislation that protects consumer rights:

• The Fair Trading Act 1986
  - An Act to prohibit certain conduct and practices in trade, to provide for the disclosure of consumer information relating to the supply of goods and services. Essentially this act covers advertising and selling. It prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct, false representations and unfair practices.
• The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993
  - An Act to amend the law relating to the guarantees given, or deemed to be given, to consumers upon the supply of goods and services. It also enforces the rights of redress against suppliers and manufacturers in respect of any failure of goods or services to comply with any such guarantees. In summary, this act gives you rights when you buy faulty goods. It also makes sure you have rights when work you pay to have done is not done properly.