Sue Chetwin, Chief Executive
Last year saw Consumer achieve a number of milestones.
We turned 50 and celebrated being on your side for all of that time. We’re looking forward to being around for at least another 50 years!
We revamped our website and saw, for the first time, revenue from online outstrip revenue from our magazine.
We made the magazine more widely available by selling it through supermarkets and bookstores.
We delivered a record number of tests and research articles, and we considerably improved the free PowerSwitch website to make it easier for you to make price comparisons between electricity and gas retailers in your region.
This year we plan to equal or increase the number of tests we deliver. Certainly you can expect many more reviews of TVs and electronic equipment. We’re also delving into our market-research information so that we can ensure our services are relevant and delivered to you in a timely way.
However, at the same time we recognise the country has been through a tough economic recession and it’s not out of the woods yet. So now is not the time to be increasing our prices to already cash-strapped families, young people starting out in life, and older people (many of whom have seen their investments wiped out through finance company collapses or suffered a fall in living standards by the dramatic decrease in term-deposit interest rates).
Instead, we are holding the line on the cost of our services but reducing the size of the magazine. We’re determined to offer the same value by increasing our practical buying information through more extensive at-a-glance profiles of the tested products. We would also encourage members to take advantage of our free advisory service which is available by email at info@consumer.org.nz, by phone on 04 384 7963 or by writing to Freepost Consumer, Private Bag 6996, Marion Square, Wellington 6141.
We will be expanding our services, largely through the website, so the value of a premium membership (magazine and online) has never been better (or cheaper). We’re looking forward to continuing to deliver independent and accurate information to enable you to make buying and saving decisions easy.
Sue Chetwin
Chief Executive
Consumer NZ
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