Sponsored: Blenheim households are the first in NZ to test a new way of planning groceries

Weekly grocery planning has quietly become one of the most mentally demanding household tasks. Prices fluctuate, time is short, and decisions often feel rushed — often made in the supermarket aisle rather than ahead of time.

A new Marlborough-based pilot, launching first in Blenheim, is exploring whether that pressure can be reduced by changing how and when those decisions are made.

The platform, called How & Need, helps households plan meals upfront, then clearly shows what that plan will cost across supermarkets. Rather than telling people what to buy or where to shop, it focuses on giving a clearer picture before shopping begins.

“We weren’t trying to reinvent grocery shopping,” says Darin, part of the local team behind the project. “We were trying to remove some of the friction around everyday decisions.”

Over time, the platform remembers meals and preferences that work for each household, reducing how many decisions need to be made week to week. The intention is that planning becomes easier — not more complicated — the more it’s used.

Blenheim and the wider Marlborough region are the first places in New Zealand to have access to the platform, with the team deliberately choosing to start locally.

The pilot is being run as a beta, meaning it is still evolving and shaped by real-world feedback from local households.

That local focus is intentional. While the current pilot centres on groceries, How & Need has been designed as a broader set of practical tools — things that quietly help households feel more organised, prepared, and in control over time.

The technology behind the platform has been developed with support from Think Tomorrow AI, a Marlborough-based consultancy focused on building useful, everyday systems rather than flashy technology. In this case, the technology stays largely in the background.

By starting in Marlborough, the team hopes to learn what genuinely helps households, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all solution.

The pilot is currently open and free to try while feedback is gathered. Any future expansion will depend on how useful local households find the approach.

More information is available at howandneed.org.