Every year, Consumer New Zealand puts together the best and worst products and services from a range it has tested and reviewed over the year.
This year the winners and losers range from paint strippers and TVs to Fruitloops.
The awards are judged by Consumer NZ staff involved with the testing of products and services and its members.
The first category up was food and wine, where there was a clear winner.
"A Hardys wine, the little Aussie battler as we call it," says Consumer NZ CEO Sue Chetwin. "I mean, $7 for a bottle of pinot noir? As with the sparkling we just wish you could buy more in New Zealand."
Kellogg's cereals aimed at children picked up the worst in this category - Coco Pops, Fruitloops and Frosties. Consumer NZ and its international counterparts are calling on the gigantic Kellogg's to get responsible.
"With Frosties, they are 40 percent sugar," says Ms Chetwin. "You know you might as well tell them to eat a chocolate bar, and that's no way to start the day."
In the DIY category, the best product takes the hassle out of weed-whacking with the Little Juey line replacement.
"I don't know if you've had to quickly change the spool in a weed-whacker, it's a really fiddly job," says Ms Chetwin. "This is a cheap appliance that does the job quickly. It's a Kiwi invention and we love it."
Voted the worst DIY product was the Tergostrip brush-on paint stripper. In tests this year, it measured up alongside other paint strippers as pretty ordinary, but one contains an ingredient Consumer NZ describes as really nasty.
"What it does have in it is something called phenol which is really dangerous, and if you're in a room not very well ventilated you'll be in a dangerous position so we recommend you don't buy this product."
The Palmerston North-based internet service provider Inspire took out best in the computers and phone category.
"The worst in that category once again over many years for us is Telecom and Vodafone. People complain about broadband speed and customer service they get from those two very big companies," says Ms Chetwin.
For consumer voters, the appliances category threw up a clear winner - Panasonic. Its appliances came highly recommended in six out of eight tests this year. It also took out top award in Britain's consumer awards for being outstanding.
"In terms of usability for people, quality and across the board, camcorders, televisions, cameras, a very good product at a reasonable price."
Worst appliance - the Dualit toaster.
"It's very expensive - $499 dollars," says Ms Chetwin. "Our best tested toasters came in under $100 so we decided to test the Dualit.
Voters described the Dualit as very solid, it is British made, retro, very stylish in any kitchen but they said, call them picky, it just does not toast very well.
Too cool to cook perhaps.
In the special mention category was the $3000 vacuum cleaner Envirotect, but Consumer NZ just calls it a rip-off. It is sold the old fashioned way, door-to-door.
But Consumer NZ says Envirotect salesmen are not clowns, they carefully target the elderly and vulnerable in a hard sell.
"We think people are scared and they buy the vacuum cleaner just to get rid of the salesman, and we say if you can't get rid of them call the police."
So looking ahead to 2009, Consumer NZ says despite the recessionary times, with April tax cuts and dropping petrol prices it could be a good year for consumers.
"There's going to be a lot of competition so there'll be some good bargains," says Ms Chetwin.