Consumer NZ has opened nominations for its annual “Yeah, Nah Awards 2026”, which call out the worst businesses, services and products in Aotearoa New Zealand, the ones that have really let consumers down.
“If you’ve been at the pointy end of a bad experience that’s cost you time or money, given you a headache and left a bad taste in your mouth, we want to hear about it,” Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen said.
“The Yeah, Nah Awards are an opportunity for consumers to make their voices heard and put bad operators on notice.”
Last year, Pams plastic plasters picked up the “You Had One Job” Award after a Consumer member said they “don’t stick properly” – something Consumer’s own in-house testing ended up confirming.
Barkers won the “On Bad Terms” Award for potentially misleading customers about their rights. The business stood out for the number of questionable claims in its terms and conditions.
HelloFresh took out the “Unsubscribe Impossible” Award after months of research into deceptive online design practices. The food delivery service stood out for a particularly frustrating cancellation process — what’s often referred to as a subscription trap.
The “No, Harvey Norman, No” Award went to Harvey Norman after a review of pricing across major New Zealand big-box retailers. Consumer said it found a confusing number of deals labelled “super deal”, “great price” or “huge deal” that didn’t really live up to the hype.
Consumers are encouraged to nominate a business, service or product by heading to their website and filling in the nomination form.
Nominations are open until 31 July 2026, with the winners set to be announced in November 2026.
“We want to hear from the people on the receiving end of dodgy deals, broken promises and baffling business behaviour,” Rasmussen said.
“Tell us what’s left you annoyed, out of pocket or shaking your head in disbelief – and help us expose this year’s Yeah, Nah winners.”