80% of NZ Parents Say Dinner Planning Is Too Much Effort

New nationally representative research commissioned by HelloFresh finds that 80% of New Zealanders with dependent children say thinking, organising and planning dinner before cooking takes more effort than they wish it did, compared with 59% of those without children.

Across the wider population, 66% of Kiwis feel the same way.

The Research at a Glance

The study, conducted by Talbot Mills Research, finds the responsibility of making dinner is often concentrated to one person. 58% of New Zealand adults say they carry most or almost all of the responsibility for deciding and preparing dinner.

 The findings show the pressure is particularly pronounced among parents and younger New Zealanders. 83% of parents say making everyone happy with the meal should be easier, while 81% say the same about finding time to cook.

One Person, Most of the Load

Women are more likely to carry the load than men. Half of women surveyed say dinner responsibility falls almost entirely to them, compared with 29% of men.

Among younger adults, 75% of 18–29-year-olds and 76% of 30–44-year-olds say dinner planning takes more effort than they wish it did, compared with 46% of people aged 60 and over.

Understanding the Mental Load

Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire says much of the pressure associated with dinner builds before the cooking even begins.

"The mental load of dinner isn't just the cooking. It's being the person who has to remember that dinner needs solving in the first place," Maguire says.

"What looks like one task, getting dinner on the table, is actually a chain of cognitive work: anticipating what the household needs, deciding what everyone will eat, keeping track of ingredients and budgets, and fitting it around everything else happening that day."

Maguire says none of those decisions is particularly demanding in isolation. "The pressure comes from their accumulation, particularly when the same person is responsible for anticipating, remembering and coordinating them day after day."

"That distinction matters because we often notice the visible work in a household, such as who cooked, who shopped and who cleaned up, but much of the cognitive work happens invisibly in the background," Maguire says. "Reducing that load isn't simply about making cooking faster. It's about reducing the number of things someone has to hold in their head."

What Would Help

Parents are clear about what would ease that pressure.

85% say quicker recipes would help reduce the stress of organising dinner, while 80% say sharing responsibility would help.

Greater variety would help 79%, while 77% want meals suited to different dietary needs and preferences, and 64% say ingredient delivery would reduce the stress.

HelloFresh's Response

HelloFresh New Zealand Managing Director & VP Operations Claudia Baptista-Fernandes says the findings reinforce that New Zealanders are looking for ways to simplify the entire dinner process, not only the cooking.

"The research shows New Zealanders want fewer decisions, greater variety, meals that work for different tastes and needs, and fewer practical steps before cooking begins," Baptista-Fernandes says.

"HelloFresh brings these elements together through a broad choice of meals, fresh pre-portioned ingredients and straightforward recipes delivered to the door, helping make the journey from 'what's for dinner?' to dinner on the table simpler.

"A midweek win does not need to be complicated. Sometimes it is simply knowing what you are making, having everything ready and being able to enjoy the experience."

More information is available at hellofresh.co.nz.