Consumer NZ’s Yeah, Nah Awards highlight businesses that have truly failed their customers, drawing attention to the worst products, services, and companies in New Zealand.
According to acting head of research and advocacy Jessica Walker, the Yeah, Nah Awards are designed to call out the worst products and services in Aotearoa, holding underperforming brands and companies accountable and encouraging them to improve.
“The Yeah, Nah Awards give people a chance to get those grievances off their chests and, more importantly, demand that businesses pull their socks up by calling them out for their bad behaviour.”
Walker noted that last year’s ‘winners’ were recognised for a variety of problems, including shrinkflation, greenwashing, and products that were overpriced but failed to deliver.
“Last year, Pam’s Value cream-style corn won the Less Isn’t More Award for containing less than half corn. We get complaints about shrinkflation all the time – it really grinds people’s gears,” Walker said.
The Polished Turd Award was given to two brands of dog poo bags for making misleading claims about being compostable and promoting themselves as “a more sustainable alternative.”
However, Consumer’s investigation found it’s much more likely that the doggy doo and these bags are headed straight for landfill.
Walker wants to remind New Zealanders that while the Yeah, Nah Awards give people a chance to voice their complaints, they’re equally about pushing for higher standards and demanding better from businesses.
“Ultimately, you deserve to get good, fair, honest value from the things you spend your money on – whether you’re buying the essentials or the nice-to-haves. And that’s what the Yeah, Nahs, and Consumer NZ are all about.”
Public nominations for the Yeah, Nah Awards are open until June 30.